Sniper rifle screw cutter. Special sniper rifle (VSS) "Vintorez. Firing mode from VSS "Vintorez"

VSS "Vintorez"(“special sniper rifle”, index GRAU 6P29) is a Soviet and Russian silent sniper rifle designed to arm special forces units.

Covert penetration behind enemy lines and, if necessary, the destruction of its important objects, setting up ambushes, fighting terrorists - the implementation of these and other special tasks is difficult without effective covert weapons of various types.

Therefore, in the 80s. of the last century, with the increasing role of special forces in local wars, the fight against terrorism and crime, special complexes of silent weapons for special forces begin to be developed.

One of the most famous such complexes of domestic development was the unified system of silent small arms, developed by the Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering (TsNII Tochmash, Klimovsk, Moscow Region) in the 80s. It included a special VSS sniper rifle, a special AS machine gun and special cartridges SP-5, SP-6.

VSS "VINTOREZ": THE NEED FOR CREATION AND THE HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENT

The need for special forces in silent weapons

There are samples of combined arms weapons modified for silent and flameless firing, but for special forces it is often preferable to use highly specialized systems. Usually, weapons in silent versions become less convenient and lose their combat properties to a large extent: effective firing range, accuracy, bullet penetration. Thus, pistols PB (PM with a silencer) and APB (APS with a silencer) are of considerable length, in addition, the silencer mount gradually wears out, which leads to a change in the battle of the weapon. When creating the PBS-1 silent firing device for the AKMS assault rifle, it turned out that the propellant charge of the US subsonic cartridge could not ensure the operation of the weapon's automation. To increase the pressure of the gases, an obturator was introduced into the design of the PBS-1 - a rubber stopper, which the bullet pierced when it was fired, and the gases pushing it remained in the barrel and did the work of reloading the weapon. When breaking through the obturator, the bullet received certain perturbations that reduced the accuracy of the battle, especially in the cold period. As a result, the aiming efficiency of AKMS with PBS-1 did not exceed 100 meters.

Therefore, it was decided instead of disparate samples to create a single complex of silent small arms for special forces, and unified ammunition for it. All special forces of the USSR were to receive four silent rifle systems: pistol, sniper, machine gun and grenade launcher.

Tactical and technical requirements for the VSS rifle

An important stage in the creation of small arms is the development of tactical and technical requirements for it. When creating a complex of silent weapons, this stage was delayed, as customers from different law enforcement agencies often formulated conflicting requirements for new weapons. By 1983, only the requirements for the sniper complex, which received the Vintorez code, were agreed upon. Due to the great need of the troops for silent weapons, work on the creation of a new sniper rifle began immediately, without waiting for the approval of the requirements for an automatic weapon system. The task was to create a silent automatic weapon, not inferior in combat power to the AKS-74U assault rifle. During development and some time after its creation, Vintorez was also designated as BSK (silent sniper complex), but now this designation is not used.

The requirements that were imposed on the Vintorez complex were high and sometimes contradictory. He was supposed to provide a covert defeat of the enemy's manpower at a distance of 400 m, moreover, ensuring the penetration of a steel army helmet at the same range. To solve these problems, the complex needed a new cartridge with a heavy bullet and increased accuracy, optical (day) and electron-optical (night) sights.

In addition, the rifle had to have a small weight and dimensions, and also, to solve some specific problems, disassemble into small components, allowing it to be secretly transported, and quickly assembled.

Development « Vintorez"

One of the main problems in the development of Vintorez was that in order to effectively mask a shot, the bullet must have a subsonic muzzle velocity, but in this case it has insufficient muzzle energy and effective firing range. Therefore, the designers abandoned the idea of ​​​​making weapons for the already existing 7.62x39 US submachine gun cartridge. Calculations have shown that the accuracy of fire with these cartridges, especially at extreme ranges, is unsatisfactory for sniper shooting. Therefore, after lengthy research, the developers created a fundamentally new 7.62 mm cartridge, which received the index RG037. It had a mass of 16 g with a bullet weight of 10.5 g and at a distance of 400 m when firing it gave R50 equal to 16.5 cm (the dispersion diameter of the best half of the shots, that is, the 50% of hits closest to the STP fit into a circle of the specified diameter). This was already quite acceptable accuracy for the ranges at which the VSS was supposed to be used.

The first prototype of the VSS chambered for 7.62x39US received the index RG036. At the end of 1981, the second prototype of the rifle was created under the same index, but chambered for RG037. The new rifle was striking in its compactness - with a length of 85 cm, it weighed only 1.8 kg, giving the impression of a toy weapon. But at the same time, it met the stated requirements for aiming range and penetrating action, penetrating an army helmet or a steel sheet 1.6 mm thick at a distance of 400 m. However, despite the quite satisfactory test results, further work on the RG036 rifle chambered for RG037 was terminated.

In 1985, the requirements for a silent automatic system were finally approved. According to them, a silent weapon was supposed to hit manpower protected by 6B2 body armor (corresponding to the 3rd protection class) at a distance of 400 m. In this regard, the developers came to the conclusion that a weapon chambered for a 7.62-mm cartridge with a subsonic will ensure the defeat of manpower, provided with advanced personal protective equipment. Therefore, by the mid-80s. designers N.V. Zabelin and L.S. Dvoryaninov (who previously created the RG037 cartridge) developed a new 9x39-mm cartridge SP-5. The bullet of this cartridge at an initial speed of 300 m / s has a mass of 16.2 g, which is twice the mass of a bullet of a 7.62x39 mm cartridge model 1943. The bullet of such a cartridge, despite the subsonic speed, has a fairly high muzzle energy , and at a distance of 400 mm is able to break through a 2-mm steel sheet and at the same time maintain the necessary lethal effect.

The RG036 sniper rifle has been completely redesigned for new cartridges. This is how the VSS Vintorez rifle appeared. As for the AS “Val” assault rifle system (the design of which is 70% unified with the rifle), it received the SP-6 cartridge, the bullet of which at a distance of 400 m is capable of hitting manpower in bulletproof vests of the 3rd protection class.

In 1987, Vintorez entered service with the special forces of the KGB and reconnaissance and sabotage units of the Soviet Army under the designation VSS (“9-mm special sniper rifle”). The rifle was equipped with daytime sights - PSO-1-1 and 1P43 and night sights - 1PN75 and 1PN51.

The production of the VSS Vintorez rifle was mastered at the Tula Arms Plant.

AMMUNITION FOR VSS "VINTOREZ": SP-5, SP-6

Shooting from the VSS rifle "Vintorez" can be carried out with cartridges SP-5(sniper) and SP-6 (increased armor penetration). These cartridges have the same charges, but differ in the design of the bullets.

Cartridges SP-5, SP-6

The bullet cartridge SP-5 has a steel and lead cores placed in a bimetallic shell. The shape of the bullet provides it with good ballistic properties when flying at subsonic speeds. The SP-5 cartridge does not have a special marking; packing cardboard boxes with such cartridges have the inscription "Sniper".

Bullet cartridge SP-6 consists of a hardened steel core of increased length, placed in a lead jacket and a bimetallic sheath. The bullet tip of the SP-6 cartridge is painted black, and there is a black stripe on the box.

Cartridge cases are steel, coated with green lacquer.

Both cartridges have similar ballistics and can be used in both VSS and AC. At the same time, the SP-5 cartridge has better accuracy, and the SP-6 cartridge has better armor penetration. The latter should be used to defeat manpower in personal protective equipment, as well as in cars or behind light shelters.

Cartridges SP-5 and SP-6 are produced by the Klimovsky stamping plant.

In addition to regular ammunition, there are training cartridges SP-6UCH - for training in loading weapons. On its sleeve there are longitudinal grooves, and on the box there is an inscription "Training".

To check the strength of the weapon locking unit, the SP-5UZ cartridge is used. On the packaging box with these cartridges there is an inscription "Enhanced charge". They are used only in the factory, the use of such cartridges in the troops is strictly prohibited.

DEVICE, OPERATION OF PARTS AND MECHANISMS OF VSS "VINTOREZ"

When creating the VSS "Vintorez", classic design solutions for automatic weapons were used. At the same time, these proven solutions have led to good results.

The VSS rifle consists of:

• barrel connected to the receiver,
• butt,
• bolt carrier with gas piston,
• shutter, return mechanism,
• drummer, mainspring with guide,
• trigger mechanism,
• receiver covers,
• muffler housing,
• separator and forearm.

The operation of the Vintorez rifle automation is based on the use of the energy of powder gases discharged from the barrel bore into the gas chamber, and then converted into kinetic energy by a mobile automation system. The locking and unlocking of the bore is carried out by turning the bolt around the longitudinal axis. The trigger mechanism is of the striker type of the original design, with the possibility of single and automatic fire.

The supply of cartridges is carried out from a two-row sector store with a staggered arrangement. The sending of the cartridge is carried out by the shutter. The cartridge case is removed by a spring-loaded swinging ejector mounted on the bolt. To reflect the spent cartridge case is a spring-loaded reflector placed in the gate.

Trunk rifles only 200 mm long, chrome-plated, has six right-hand rifling. On the hemp of the barrel there are protrusions with bevels - for preliminary rotation of the shutter at the beginning of its locking. In the middle part of the barrel there is a gas chamber, as well as a cylindrical surface with annular grooves for attaching the muffler body. The muzzle has 54 holes (6 rows of 9 holes) drilled along the rifling of the barrel. They are designed to discharge gases from the bore into the expansion chamber of the muffler. A separator spring of a special shape is put on the muzzle of the barrel. It provides centering of the muffler relative to the axis of the bore. The muffler centering unit was created as an original design, its device is protected by a RF patent.

Receiver serves to connect the parts and mechanisms of the rifle. It is made by milling from a steel billet. This significantly increases the rigidity of the structure, but at the same time increases the complexity of its manufacture and increases the cost. Nevertheless, it is quite logical for special forces to have weapons that are more expensive, but provide high accuracy of fire and reliability.

From above, the box is closed with a lid, which protects the parts and mechanisms of the weapon from contamination. It is made of thin sheet steel stamped. To give rigidity, with a small thickness of the metal, extrusions are made in it. On the right side, the lid has a window for ejected shells and a cutout for moving the bolt handle.

Fuse, which, when turned on, excludes the possibility of turning the trigger, ensures the prevention of accidental shots when falling, hitting a weapon, accidentally pressing the trigger. In the on position, the fuse box closes the cutouts for the movement of the reloading handle and thereby protects the receiver from sand and dust getting into it. Protection against premature shots when the shutter is unlocked is provided by the self-timer, as well as the relative position of the bolt carrier and the shutter when the bore is closed and the shutter is locked.

On the left side of the receiver there are dovetail protrusions - seats for optical sights. The central and two rear protrusions serve as the base for mounting night optical sights, and the two front and central protrusions for daytime optical sights.

The receiver also has a translator for the type of fire and a magazine latch with a spring.

The main mode of shooting from a rifle is single. However, the design of the trigger located in the receiver provides for the possibility of automatic fire. fire type translator attached to the receiver inside the trigger guard, behind the trigger. For single fire, the translator is set to the “Single shooting” position (indicated by one dot), and automatic - “Automatic shooting” (indicated by three dots). You can use the translator with the thumb and forefinger of the hand holding the handle.

To increase the accuracy of a sniper rifle, it is necessary that its mechanisms, when working, affect the weapon as little as possible.

To fulfill this condition, the automatic rifle has light moving parts (bolt and bolt carrier). Another solution was the use of six bolt lugs in the locking mechanism, interacting with the protrusions of the receiver. In this case, the two lower lugs play the role of a rammer cartridges. The locking and unlocking of the shutter is carried out by turning it around the longitudinal axis, which occurs when the copier grooves of the shutter frame and the leading projections of the shutter interact. This made it possible to ensure a rigid symmetrical locking of the barrel bore and reduce energy losses for unlocking the shutter.

Another solution that contributed to accurate shooting was the use of a striker-type percussion mechanism. A light striker serves to break the igniter primer and, when lowered from the combat platoon, gives the rifle a slight perturbing impulse. In addition, such a constructive solution made it possible to facilitate the work of automation. This, as well as a specially designed layout of the gas outlet assembly, eventually made it possible to reduce the “tossing” of the weapon during a shot, which in turn made it easier to observe the results of firing through an optical sight.

Drummers VSS of the first series have a striker and a tail, in which there is a hole for the mainspring guide, grooves for guiding in the receiver, protrusions for cocking and for setting the firing pin on the self-timer. In subsequent issues, the striker was moved to the bolt. The cylindrical surface of the drummer enters the shutter channel.

Return mechanism designed to return the bolt carrier with the bolt to the forward position after firing or loading the weapon, as well as to fix the receiver cover. The recoil spring guide, together with the rod, is a telescopic design that provides the necessary stroke length for the bolt carrier. To reduce noise when the moving system hits in the rear position, a polyurethane gasket is provided in the design of the stop of the return mechanism. To prevent the penetration of exhaust gases from the receiver to the face of the shooter, there is a sealing rubber ring between the protrusion of the stop of the return mechanism and the cover of the receiver.

Action spring serves to inform the striker of energy sufficient to break the cartridge primer. The mainspring guide also has a telescopic design.

Integrated silencer is an integral part of the rifle. It includes the muffler body and separator.

The muffler housing consists of an expansion chamber for pre-discharge of gases and a muzzle muffler chamber. A separator is installed in the front of the housing.

The separator is a die-welded structure consisting of a bushing, insert, washer and clip. The cylindrical surface of the washer and bushing serves to ensure the alignment of the separator and the body, the conical surface of the bushing is used to install the separator on the separator spring located on the muzzle of the barrel.

The silencer is put on the rifle barrel and fastened to it with two crackers and a latch. This mount makes it easy to remove and install the silencer on the weapon. After the shot, when the bullet passes through the front, perforated part of the barrel, part of the powder gases rush through the side holes in the barrel into the expansion chamber of the muffler. In this case, the pressure of the gases in the bore and their speed after the bullet takes off are reduced. A jet of powder gases flowing from the muzzle of the barrel enters the separator, which "dismembers" it into numerous multidirectional flows, intensively reducing their speed and temperature. As a result, gases escaping from the silencer have subsonic speed and low temperature, that is, they do not create pop and muzzle flame, and the sound level of the shot is approximately 130 dB, which corresponds to a small-caliber rifle.

The use of an integrated silencer made it possible to reduce (compared to a silencer that is worn on the muzzle of the barrel) and the overall length of the weapon.

A sight block with an aiming bar, a front sight base with a front sight, a separator latch with a spring are attached to the silencer body.

Removable skeleton-type rifle butt (like SVD) is made of plywood. It is attached to the receiver using a lining with dovetail protrusions and a latch. When creating the butt lock, an original design solution was used, protected by a RF patent. The latch provides quick removal and attachment of the stock, and a rigid (no backlash) attachment to the weapon.

handguard Rifle "Vintorez" is made of plastic and is designed for ease of control of weapons when shooting, protecting hands from burns and fixing the tube. The forearm is held by the muffler body, and when the muffler is removed, by the body latch, which is automatically pressed during assembly by the internal inclined plane of the forearm.

Trigger mechanism serves to lower the striker from the combat cocking and from the self-timer cocking, to ensure single and automatic firing, to stop firing, to prevent shots when the shutter is unlocked and to set the machine to safety. The trigger mechanism is placed in the receiver and includes a fuse, sear, uncoupler, translator, self-timer, trigger, trigger spring, trigger shaft, self-timer spring, sear spring and uncoupler. The design of the trigger mechanism is also protected by the RF patent.

For aimed shooting from a rifle and machine gun at various ranges, various day and night sights.

The daytime optical sight of the PSO-1-1 rifle is similar to the PSO-1 sight of the SVD sniper rifle, but with remote scales for the ballistics of the SP-5 cartridge. The upper handwheel of the sight - for setting the range - has a scale with numbers from 5 to 40, with a division value of 25 m, which corresponds to aiming angles for firing at a distance of 50 to 400 m. Since the ballistics of the SP-6 cartridge is close to the ballistics of the SP cartridge -5, the sight scale is used when firing both cartridges. The side handwheel, as in the PSO1 sight, serves to introduce lateral corrections. The reticle has one main square for aiming at the target. To the right and left of it is a scale of lateral corrections, below - a rangefinder scale for a target 1.7 m high (growth figure) with numbers from 1 to 40 in tens of meters of range. The PSO-1-1 sight has a 4x magnification and a field of view of 6°, its weight is 0.58 kg.

In addition to the sight, PSO-1-1, another daytime optical sight, 1P43, can also be used for firing from the VSS.

For shooting at night, the NSPU-3 or MBNP-1 night sight is used. Recently, a new generation of night sights has been created - a series of sights 1PN93.

In the event of a failure of a daytime optical sight or the impossibility of using it for other reasons, a mechanical sighting device is used, consisting of a sector-type sight and a front sight adjustable in height and lateral direction in the front sight. The sight and front sight are located on the muffler body. The aiming bar has a mane with a slot for aiming and cutouts for holding the collar in the installed position. On the aiming bar there is a scale with divisions from 10 to 42: on the right side from 10 to 40, on the left - from 15 to 42. The numbers on the scale indicate the firing range in tens of meters. - 30 m.

On the basis of the front sight and on the body, a general risk is applied, which determines the position of the front sight after bringing the weapon to normal combat.

The placement of the sight and the front sight on the silencer requires, when operating the weapon, to strictly monitor the correct connection of the silencer, protect it from impacts and other mechanical damage.

One of the requirements for a new rifle when it was created. - the possibility of hidden carrying and high readiness for combat use. Therefore, the rifle is disassembled into three main units - a rifle with a removed butt and a silencer, a silencer and a butt. The time of its transfer to the combat position is no more than 1 min.

If necessary, the rifle can be carried disassembled to the main components in a 45x37x19 cm case or in a bag. For the manufacture of packing in the case, a detachable wooden model of the rifle was created.

INCOMPLETE DISASSEMBLY VSS "VINTOREZ"

Silent weapons, when fired, to a greater extent than conventional ones, are contaminated with powder deposits. Therefore, after firing from the VSS, you need to clean it as soon as possible. For this, an incomplete disassembly of the rifle is performed, which is done without a special tool.

The order of partial disassembly is as follows:

1. Separate the magazine, turn off the fuse and, pulling the bolt back, check if there is a cartridge in the chamber.

2. Having sunk the housing latch, turn the muffler clockwise and push it forward to separate it.

3. Having pressed the latch, advance the separator and then, pushing it with a ramrod, separate it from the body.

4. Having sunk the latch and pressing the protrusion of the stop of the return mechanism, separate the cover of the receiver.

5. Pushing the stop of the return mechanism forward, lift it and remove it from the channel of the bolt carrier.

6. Feed the mainspring with the guide forward and, holding the drummer, separate it.

7. Pull the drummer back until it stops and, lifting it, separate it from the receiver.

8. Pull the bolt carrier with the bolt back until it stops and, lifting them, separate them from the receiver.

9. Turning the bolt, separate it from the bolt carrier.

10. Having drowned the housing latch, remove the fore-end, moving it forward.

11. Turning the tube clockwise until the projection of the tube is aligned with the slot on the receiver, separate it by moving it back.

12. To separate the butt of the BCC rifle, sink the butt lock and, moving the butt back, separate it from the receiver.

1. Disconnect the magazine and check if there is a cartridge in the chamber.

2. Separate the muffler and disassemble it.

3. Remove the separator spring from the barrel.

4. Disconnect the rifle receiver cover.

5. Remove return mechanism.

6. Remove mainspring with guide.

7. Remove the drummer.

8. Separate the bolt carrier with the bolt and separate the bolt from the bolt carrier.

9. Disconnect the handguard.

10. Separate the tube.

11. For VSS - separate the butt.

12. Weapons are assembled in the reverse order. It takes 30 to 60 seconds.

RIFLE PACKAGE

Each VSS rifle is equipped with an individual set of ZIP-O spare parts. It consists of:

• ramrod;
• belonging;
• butter dish;
• scraper;
• five 10-round magazines;
• belt.

Stores AS "Val" and VSS "Vintorez" are interchangeable, so the rifle can be fed from both 10-round and 20-round (automatic) magazines.

Lubricator and accessory - from AKM.

The scraper is used to remove carbon deposits from the walls of the bore. He screwed on the ramrod.

The knife is intended for removal of a deposit from surfaces of a separator. Barrel and gas piston. It has two blades: one for cleaning the separator, the other for external surfaces, the barrel and the gas piston.

Rifle stowage includes: a bag for carrying a rifle and a bag for carrying an optical sight, four magazines and ZIP-O.

SHOOTING MODES FROM VINTOREZ

For a sniper rifle, the priority fire mode is single. When firing from a stop, the dispersion diameter of a series of 10 shots is no more than 10 cm.

Fire in bursts can be fired at an unexpected meeting with the enemy at a distance "point blank". Since the capacity of a regular VSS magazine is only 10 rounds, automatic fire should be fired in bursts of 2-4 shots. In exceptional cases, fire can be fired in a long burst until all the cartridges in the magazine are used up.

EXPERIENCE IN COMBAT APPLICATION OF THE VSS AND REVIEWS OF THE FIGHTERS

"Vintorez" was used in Afghanistan, then during the first and second Chechen campaigns. During the events in Moscow in the fall of 1993, the Vintorez was also used by the Vityaz special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Ostankino television center.

In addition to the special forces of the GRU and the special forces of the FSB, the Ministry of Internal Affairs gradually began to enter service with "ordinary" reconnaissance officers of motorized rifle and airborne units. In general, the rifle has proven itself among special forces and intelligence officers.

“The AU/VSS weapon system is close to the ideal weapon for special forces. Its skillful use allows you to work wonders. So, for example, during one of the close fire battles, a reconnaissance group from our unit managed to “fill up” five people, including the head patrol, while the opposing side began to understand something.

The presence of regular day and night optics, an armor-piercing cartridge and an efficient integrated device for silent and flameless firing allows solving most of the tasks that may arise before a special forces unit. For example, the classic task - "removing the sentry" BCC solves perfectly (better than a thrown knife, crossbow ...).

... With the receipt of the VSS, I immediately handed over to the warehouse all my AKMs with PBS, which we brought with us for lack of a better one. ”(V. Olgin. “What we fought in Chechnya”, magazine “Soldier of Fortune”, No. 8, 1997)

“The sniper of one of the groups had to destroy the fuse of a grenade set on a non-removable grenade on a narrow path. Having made three sighting shots from the VSS, with the fourth he fired the fuse at the base. All this happened silently.(Sh. Aliyev. “Where did the bloody experience go?”, magazine “Soldier of Fortune”, No. 11, 1997.)

“The commander of a motorized rifle company of one of the regiments that operated in 1995 in the mountainous region of Yarysh-Marda south of Grozny, now Major V.L. Mukashov, from personal experience, considers the VSS a good addition to the regular weapons of motorized rifle units in those conditions. His company operated in isolation from the main forces of the unit and conducted reconnaissance of the enemy with its own forces and means. The company was supplied with several sets of VSS rifles. The commander of the group allocated for reconnaissance - usually the company commander himself or one of the platoon commanders - was armed, in addition to the standard machine gun, with a VSS rifle and carried it behind his back on a belt. When during reconnaissance it was required to hit an individual target at a distance of up to 400 m, a silent shot from the VSS did not allow the enemy to detect the group. This weapon was also successfully used in other cases that required silent and flameless shooting.(A.Lovi, V.Korablin, "Modern small arms in Russia." Magazine "Arms", No. 1, 2000.)

During the second "Chechen" war, a sniper from one of the Russian special forces, being in an ambush on a forest path, took up a firing position in the crown of a dense tree. Finding a reconnaissance group of militants, he waited until the entire group had reached the open area. The sniper opened fire from effective range and destroyed the entire group before the enemy figured out where the fire was coming from.

In addition to the actual sniper fire, the VSS demonstrated high fighting qualities in close combat, where it was used as an automatic weapon.

“In the course of one of the search and ambush operations, the head patrol of the special forces group at 5.30 in the morning, about 4 km from the village, found three men on the road. It was decided to follow the unknown. Behind them advanced two scouts armed with VSS. Soon the scouts found a group of people with weapons in the amount of about 10 people. One of the militants, moving aside for some reason, found one of the scouts. A battle ensued, in a few minutes about 100 rounds of ammunition were used up from each VSS. Soon the head patrol arrived to help the scouts, and then the whole group. During the battle, six militants were killed, the rest fled. At the scene of the battle, the militants left 10 machine guns, a sniper rifle, a large number of cartridges and grenades, a lot of new uniforms and equipment.

The fire from the VSS was automatic, the weapon had no delays when firing. Shops were used 20-charger from the AC machine gun "

“During the ambush at night on a country road, one of the special forces groups found a car. As soon as he caught up with the fire subgroup, fire was opened from silent weapons (there were three VSS and one AKM with PBS in the fire subgroup). The car stopped during the search, two militants, a radio station, and a weapon were found in it.

From the VSS, 20 rounds were shot (stores from the AU were used). Stores were equipped in order - two SP-5, one SP-6. This method of equipment was used because if you fire at the car only with SP-5 cartridges, then the effectiveness of the fire, due to the low penetration of this cartridge, will be low. For conducting a silent ambush, the VSS is an exemplary weapon "(from the memoirs of a special forces officer).

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of such examples of the successful use of VSS in recent local wars.

The use of VSS and AS during clashes revealed another useful property of this weapon. When shooting in the city, AK or RPK bullets tend to ricochet off the walls, which in some cases can be dangerous for the shooter or his comrades. At the same time, bullets of SP-5 and SP-6 cartridges, having an initial speed of less than 300 m / s, practically do not ricochet. Thus, weapons based on these cartridges are convenient for combat in the city.

CONCLUSION

When creating the Vintorez VSS and other silent weapon systems, the developers from TsNIITOCHMASH chose the only right path: first, the tactical and technical requirements for weapons were formulated, and then work began on creating an armament complex that includes a cartridge and a device for throwing a bullet (rifle, pistol , automatic, etc.). It was an integrated approach that allowed Soviet designers in the mid-80s. last century to make a breakthrough in the creation of silent weapons.

Interestingly, no direct analogues of Vintorez have been created in any foreign country to date, with the exception of the American S-16 (M-16 with an integrated silencer), however, in terms of combat properties, this rifle is significantly inferior to the BCC.

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VSS (Special Sniper Rifle) is a silent sniper rifle for special forces. Index GRAU - 6P29. Developed in the 1980s at TsNIItochmash in Klimovsk under the direction of P. I. Serdyukov. The name "Vintorez" remained in use after its use in the design documentation.

Until the 1970s, special forces units of the USSR used mainly modified samples of small arms and grenade launchers for combined arms, equipped with integrated silencers and using special cartridges with a subsonic bullet speed. As an example, we can cite the Silence complexes based on AKM and Canaryka based on AKS74U, as well as PB and APB pistols. However, such solutions had their drawbacks (for example, a significant increase in the size of pistols with silencers, a sharp decrease in the effective firing range of machine guns with PBS-1 and its limited resource), therefore, in parallel, special samples of a narrowly targeted appointments that could provide greater secrecy for the actions of special forces.

Contradictory tactical and technical requirements for a sniper rifle and an assault rifle put forward by various departments became the reason that by 1983 only the requirements for a sniper rifle were agreed with customers, which consisted of the following:

• covert destruction of enemy manpower at ranges up to 400 m;
• penetration of a steel army helmet at a distance of 400 m;
• the possibility of using optical sights during the day and electron-optical sights at night;
• compactness and lightness;
• the possibility of disassembly into the main components for covert transportation and quick assembly after that.

To meet competing requirements, designers had to develop new 9 × 39 mm ammunition.

The first version of the rifle, which received the index RG036, was created under the leadership of V. F. Krasnikov chambered for 7.62 US, which was used in silent complexes based on the Kalashnikov assault rifle. The rifle had an original design of the gas exhaust system: an annular gas piston located around the barrel also acted as the rear wall of the muffler expansion chamber. This simplified and facilitated the design of weapons, but had a negative impact on reliability in various operating conditions.

At the end of 1981, a second version of the rifle was created under the same index, but chambered for RG037 and with a more traditional gas outlet through a side hole in the barrel wall, which was rigidly locked by turning the bolt. The shot sound suppression system consisted of a chamber muzzle silencer and an expansion chamber and made it possible to reduce the sound pressure to the level of a PB pistol. In addition, a distinctive feature of the rifle was its small dimensions (length - 815 mm) and low weight (only 1.8 kg), despite which it ensured the destruction of manpower in army helmets or behind 1.6 mm thick sheet steel.

The new rifle passed preliminary tests, but in 1985 the requirements for a silent machine gun were approved, on the basis of which it was supposed to defeat the enemy in 6B2 body armor at a distance of 400 m. In this regard, the rifle designers came to the conclusion that the RG037 cartridge would be ineffective for fighting the enemy in advanced personal protective equipment, so further work on it was stopped, and the sniper rifle was completely redesigned for the 9 × 39 mm cartridge developed soon. It entered service with the KGB and GRU units in 1987 and later served as the basis for the development of the Val AS.

VSS "Vintorez". Sniper rifle. (Russia)

The principle of operation of automation is a gas outlet. Locking is carried out by turning the larvae of the shutter with the translational movement of the bolt frame - with locking on six lugs. The trigger mechanism provides both single shot firing and burst firing. It should be noted that conducting automatic fire through a silencer, regardless of its design, always has a negative effect on the quality of suppression. Powder gases do not have time to dissipate and cool, the pressure does not have time to fall. The VSS rifle has an expansion-type muffler integrated into the design with annular diaphragm elements that reflect the shock waves of powder gases. The barrel has several holes to relieve pressure in the rear silencer cavity (which distinguishes an integrated silencer from a conventional one). The silencer can be removed for cleaning and storage, but shooting without it is prohibited. Muting the sound of a shot is based on the integrating principle. When a bullet passes by many holes in the walls of the barrel, the powder gases penetrate through them into the expansion chamber of the muffler not immediately, but sequentially. With such a consistent expansion of hot powder gases, their temperature drops, therefore, the volume and “exhaust” pressure are reduced. In addition, in the process described above, a single sonic exhaust is broken up into many components. Residual sound waves, reflected from the oblique separator partitions, are superimposed on each other in opposite phases and are mutually absorbed.

The sights of the rifle consist of an open mechanical sight (on the back of the silencer there is an adjustable rear sight, graduated up to 400 m, and a front sight with a protective rack located on the muzzle of the silencer), as well as a side bracket for mounting a number of optical and night sights. In particular, the standard PSO-1-1 optical sight (which differs from the PSO-1 by a different aiming mark for a much steeper trajectory of the bullets of the SP-5 and SP-6 cartridge).

VSS is equipped with a wooden clumsy butt, very similar in design to the butt of the SVD rifle, but with a wider and more comfortable control handle. The butt is removed to reduce the size when storing weapons.

On the basis of the VSS, the “Val” AS assault rifle (special assault rifle) was developed and put into service. It differs from the VSS in the presence of a folding metal stock, a larger capacity magazine - 20 instead of 10 rounds (the magazines are interchangeable). The store can be equipped with clips.

The VSS has a dovetail mount, as a result of which a PSO-1 type sight, any regular night sight (NSPUM, NSPU-3), as well as PO 4x34 type sights with a special adapter can be attached; an open sector sight is also installed on the silencer cover.

The VSS resource is officially 1,500 shots, but with timely care, cleaning and lubrication, this weapon can withstand up to 5,000 shots without compromising the quality of combat.

The VSS is not a completely silent weapon. The sound of a shot is roughly equivalent to a small-caliber rifle and can only be distinguished in silence, which is much better than weapons with silencers. However, weapons equipped with a silencer and using, like the VSS, subsonic ammunition, are often able to have a comparable loudness of the shot.

VSS "Vintorez". Sniper rifle. (Russia)

Characteristics:

• Weight, kg: 2 6 (without magazine and sight), 3 41 (loaded and with PSO-1 sight)
• Length, mm: 894
• Barrel length, mm: 200
• Cartridge: 9 × 39 mm (SP-5, SP-6)
• Caliber, mm: 9x39
• Principles of operation: removal of powder gases, butterfly valve
• Rate of fire, shots / min: 40-100
• Muzzle velocity, m/s: 280-295
• Sighting range, m: up to 100 in the head target, up to 200 in the chest, up to 350 in the growth.
• Maximum effective range, m: 400
• Type of ammunition: box magazine for 10 or 20 rounds
• Sight: sector, it is possible to install optical (originally supplied with 1P43 and PSO-1-1) or night (1PN75 or 1PN51)

VSS "Vintorez". Sniper rifle. (Russia)

The "transformation" of conventional military weapons into "silent" ones by installing a silent and flameless firing device and using a variant of a regular cartridge with a reduced bullet speed is a fairly simple and convenient way. However, basic samples of weapons and cartridges are usually created without taking into account the requirements of "silent" shooting. Therefore, a new step in the development of silent weapons was the special development of "cartridge-weapon" complexes that more fully meet the specific requirements for such weapons.

The silent sniper complex was created at the Central Research Institute TOCHMASH (Klimovsk) by P. I. Serdkzhov and V. F. Krasnikov and put into service in 1987. The complex includes a special sniper rifle (VSS "Vintorez", index 6P29) and a special 9-mm cartridge SP6.

The SP6 sniper cartridge was created by N.V. Zabelin and L.S. Dvoryaninova. The bullet has a bimetallic jacket and a core consisting of steel and lead parts. A heavy bullet maintains stability on the trajectory and, in addition to high accuracy, also gives a good penetrating effect. It is also possible to shoot with a SPb cartridge with a bullet of increased penetrating action. The sound level is significantly lower than that of a sports small-caliber rifle. The weapon is also distinguished by the relatively "quiet" operation of the automation and trigger mechanism.

The VSS rifle has automatics with a gas engine with the removal of powder gases from the bore and a long piston stroke, rigidly connected to the bolt frame. The barrel bore is locked by turning the bolt, the six lugs of which engage with the cutouts of the receiver. The receiver is milled from steel, which provides greater rigidity compared to a stamped box. Relatively soft perceived recoil contributes to the accuracy of shooting.

The impact mechanism is of a striker type, with a light striker, which also improves the accuracy of shooting. The mainspring of the striker is located below the return spring behind the bolt. Non-automatic fuse - flag. A separate translator of types of fire is located inside the trigger guard behind the trigger, its right position corresponds to a single fire, the left position corresponds to automatic fire.

When fired, powder gases are discharged into an integrated silencer through holes made along the bottom of the rifling in the walls of a relatively short barrel (in front of the gas outlet), and through the muzzle. When fired, as the bullet moves along the bore, powder gases pass into the muffler cylinder. A separator is placed in the cylinder in front of the muzzle of the barrel. The end caps and inclined partitions of the separator have holes along the axis of the muffler for the passage of a bullet. The bullet passes through the partitions, and the powder gases, hitting them, change direction, lose speed and temperature. An open sector sight and a front sight are mounted on the muffler. The silencer is easily separated from the weapon and disassembled for cleaning, but firing from a weapon with the silencer removed is not allowed.

A permanent wooden stock of a frame shape is provided with an elastic nape.

On the left wall of the receiver there is a bar for mounting brackets for optical or night sights. A PSO-1-1 sight or a night sight is attached to the VSS. The PSO-1-1 sight is similar to the PSO-1 sight of the SVD sniper rifle, but with remote scales for the ballistics of SPB and SPb cartridges. For shooting at night, the NSPU-3, 1PN75 sight can be used. MBNGM8 (VSSN rifle). When firing from the VSS with single shots at a distance of 400 m, the diameter of dispersion of hits in a series of 10 shots with the SP5 cartridge should not exceed 11 cm.

For concealed carrying, the rifle can be easily disassembled into large parts: a silencer, a stock, a receiver with a barrel and a trigger mechanism. The magazine is box-shaped, with a plastic case with a staggered arrangement of 10 rounds.

The performance characteristics of the VSS rifle

Caliber: 9 mm
Cartridge: SP5, SP6 (9 x 39)
Weight without optical sight and cartridges: 2.45 kg
Length: 894 mm
Barrel length: 200 mm
Muzzle velocity: 290 m/s
Rate of fire: 800-900 rds / min
Combat rate of fire: 30/60 rds / min
Target range:
with optical sight: 400 m
with night sight: 300 m
with open sight: 400 m
Magazine capacity: 10 rounds

The Val family of weapons has long been famous for the use of advanced technologies and truly unique developments. Take, for example, the brand new, but already famous "Whirlwind" - a silent and compact assault machine that has managed to fall in love with the special forces. His colleague AS "Val", a member of many military companies, has already become famous even outside the Russian Federation, easily bypassing many analogues. A worthy company is also made by Vintorez - a rifle that combines the advantages of a sniper and an assault rifle.

Pedigree

Echoes of the Cold War between the States and the Union reverberate even today. was developed by special government order in the 1970s. Successfully conducted tests contributed to its adoption. Back in the 80s, she fell into the hands of the KGB, intelligence officers and some units of the special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. "Vintorez" VSS made it possible to hit targets almost silently. And all thanks to the unique structure of the muffler. Moreover, with its help it was possible to destroy not only the manpower of the enemy, but also his unarmored equipment.

The use of the new rifle turned out to be so successful that the developer of the rifle, TSNIITOCHMASH, began to create an assault high-precision machine gun on its basis. The novelty was liked not only by reconnaissance and attack aircraft, but even by snipers. "Vintorez" VSS and AS "Val" are designed for the same cartridge, their structure is largely similar, most parts are interchangeable. It is not surprising that these two go shoulder to shoulder for almost their entire combat path.

The device and its features

The design of the rifle is quite simple. The trigger mechanism consists of a firing pin and two sears. One of them is responsible for automatic fire, the second - for single fire. The principle of automation is in many ways similar to that used for the VSS "Vintorez" rifle, which has the following parts in its structure:

• barrel with receiver;
• wooden butt;
• group of sighting devices;
• bolt carrier with piston;
• gate;
• shock, return and trigger mechanisms;
• gas tube;
• handguard;
• receiver cover.

In addition to the above, there is a regular magazine for 10 rounds.

Automation works on the principle of removing powder gases through the barrel channel into the gas chamber. The channel itself is locked by turning the shutter. The gas piston has a rigid connection with the bolt carrier. A reciprocating mainspring is located in its cavity. The flag fuse is located on the right, in addition to the direct task, it also protects the box from dust and dirt. The fire modes are switched using a mechanism located in the trigger guard: its horizontal position allows firing single shots, while its position to the left allows firing bursts.

The sights of the rifle consist of a sector sight and a front sight mounted on a muffler. The front part of the barrel with six rows of holes is completely covered by a silencer. It is with the help of these holes that the removal of powder gases is carried out. After passing through them, they enter the muffler cylinder, and there they are successively dispersed into mutually extinguishing flows, leaving for the expansion chambers.

The rifle can be equipped with PSO-1, NSPU-3 optics, a collimator.

Full unmasking

The VSS Vintorez sniper rifle has two undeniable advantages that distinguish it from its counterparts. First of all, it is the ability to shoot almost silently.

This useful option is complemented by a structural feature and small dimensions. Standard optics, a silencer and even a buttstock are removable parts, dismantling which, you can easily hide the rifle in a small

ammunition

Like all representatives of the VAL family, Vintorez fires 9x39 cartridges - SP-5 and SP-6. These fairly serious ammunition is capable of destroying even light armor of military equipment.

It is noteworthy that they have different ballistics, you need to shoot weapons separately for each of them. Experts do not recommend using SP-6 cartridges without special need, as they accelerate the wear of the weapon, thanks to the steel-reinforced core.

Killing power and aiming range

The SP-5 cartridge can penetrate two-millimeter steel and hit living targets behind it. SP-6 exceeds this figure by 20%. This weapon cannot boast of a long range of aimed fire, and its specificity is not such. Still, "Vintorez" is a universal weapon, suitable primarily for attack aircraft. Therefore, in order to get into the head of the enemy, you will have to get close to him at least 200 meters. The body can be hit from twice the distance. The installation of additional sights is designed for a maximum range of half a kilometer.

"Vintorez" in battle

Despite a number of advantages, one should not think that Vintorez VSS is superior to all analogues. The weapon is designed primarily for assault, anti-terrorist, reconnaissance and sabotage activities. This weapon is ideal where the fighter cannot reveal his location, but at the same time it is possible to get close enough to the target. Perhaps in some cases it is more logical to use the good old SVD, although large-sized, but striking targets at a distance of almost a kilometer. In addition, "Vintorez" is not designed for long-term battles. But where you need to appear imperceptibly, quickly and quietly carry out an operation, and then just as silently move away - the VSS Vintorez rifle is simply irreplaceable. The price of a combat rifle is relatively low, which makes it possible, if necessary, to arm special forces units with it.

"Vintorez" in civilian life

Love for weapons is often experienced not only by the military and law enforcement officers. It also attracts peaceful adventure lovers. Therefore, non-combat analogues of the VSS "Vintorez" were developed specifically for this purpose. Airsoft, laser tag, paintball are sports where you can meet the civilian version of this rifle. Of course, the design of the weapon has been greatly changed, but the shape resembles the original as much as possible. The special shape of the butt, the silencer, and the original case have been preserved. "Vintorez" in a specialized store can be bought for 500-600 dollars, depending on the configuration.

Participation in wars and armed conflicts

For the first time, the Vintorez rifle showed itself during the First Chechen campaign. Then some special forces of the Russian army were armed with it. She also took part in the Second Chechen War. The case when a Russian sniper single-handedly destroyed an entire enemy sabotage group with a Vintorez rifle was widely known, even before the militants had time to understand from which side they were being fired at.

During the Georgian-Ossetian conflict, both sides were armed with the Vintorez.

This rifle was also noted in the infamous terrorist operation in Beslan. In the subsequent analysis of the films filmed by journalists, it was found that at least one militant was armed with a Vintorez.

"Vintorez" in service

Currently, not only Russian soldiers and law enforcement officers have this rifle. It is also exported abroad. It is noteworthy that not only the countries of Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and the post-Soviet space, but also the United States showed interest in it.

Does the Vintorez project have a great future?

It is difficult to imagine what fate awaits this rifle. To date, it does not have a single worthy analogue in its class, but it is not necessary to talk about its mass production, which could compete with the legendary SVD in any way. This is primarily due to the use of a fairly rare ammunition with special ballistics.

But in any case, one thing is clear - with the execution of the task "Vintorez" VSS copes "excellently". And those who have ever tested it in battle unanimously call this weapon "silent Russian death."

In modern wars and local military conflicts, a significant role is assigned to special reconnaissance and sabotage operations conducted on enemy territory. For such operations, the armies of the developed countries of the world have special forces and subunits .....

VSS sniper rifle (top) and special AS machine gun (bottom)

They are designed for covert penetration and performance of combat missions both in the frontal zone of the enemy and in his deep rear; conducting reconnaissance for a long time and, if necessary, destroying important enemy military installations, as well as performing other specific tasks. The main tasks of the special forces are to conduct reconnaissance and sabotage operations against important state and military facilities of the enemy in order to obtain the necessary information, inflict military, economic and moral damage on him, disrupt command and control, disrupt the rear and a number of other tasks.
To equip special-purpose units formed in the Soviet Union by the 1970-1980s - several brigades and separate special-purpose battalions, as well as special units of the KGB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs; reconnaissance units of motorized rifle, tank, airborne divisions and formations of the marine corps of the Soviet army and navy required effective covert weapons of various types and purposes, including small-sized and silent small arms.

*****

One of these means for the domestic special forces was the unified system of silent small arms, developed at TSNIITOCHMASH in the 1980s. It included a special sniper complex, which consisted of a 9-mm special sniper rifle VSS, a 9-mm machine gun of a special AS and special 9-mm cartridges.

This complex appeared as a result of increased confrontation between the Soviet Union and the West in the 1960s and 1970s. The expansion at that time of the geography of undeclared wars and local military conflicts, which were fought on almost all continents, required more and more new types of special weapons to successfully fight our potential adversaries, including for defeating enemy manpower at short distances, equipped with personal protection.

A significant drawback of domestic samples of silent small arms of the first generation, which by that time were in service with the Soviet special forces, were relatively low, in comparison with weapons for combined arms, combat and service performance characteristics - aiming range, lethal and penetrating action of a bullet, weight and size characteristics. As a result, the existing samples of silent weapons could not fully replace the standard combined arms weapons and were, in essence, only an addition to the regular samples of special forces weapons. These samples of automatic small arms were equipped with special muzzle devices for silent-flameless shooting, the so-called "silencers", and their cartridges were refined in the direction of increasing the mass of the bullet and reducing its muzzle velocity to subsonic. However, since the most important condition for the performance of combat missions by special forces units on enemy territory was the secrecy of actions, the use of weapons with small unmasking factors of a shot - sound, flame and smoke, i.e. "silent" weapons. In addition, when the combat missions of special forces changed significantly by the end of the 1970s, the insufficient effectiveness of individual samples of special (silent) weapons and ammunition for them was also revealed.

It was at this time, in accordance with the state program for the development of weapons and military equipment, that the beginning of research and development work (R&D) began to develop a concept and create a unified system of silent small arms to replace certain types of special weapons that were then in service special forces of the Soviet army and the KGB.

This work was entrusted to the Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering (TsNIITOCHMASH) in Klimovsk, with the leading role of the KGB Research Institute of the USSR together with the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces. The Soviet gunsmiths approached the solution of the task in a comprehensive manner. The creation of a unified system of silent small arms was planned to be carried out through the development of new designs; reducing the range of special weapons and ammunition, developing the necessary types of such weapons, designed for unified cartridges.

After analyzing the typical tactical tasks solved by special forces units and carrying out a number of various research works, it was decided to create several silent shooting systems for all special forces, including a sniper one, which would include three main components: “weapon - ammunition - sight.

In 1983, requirements were developed for a new special sniper complex (received the code "Vintorez"). This weapon was supposed to provide covert destruction of enemy manpower at ranges up to 400 m, including in personal protective equipment. It was possible to solve such a problem only with the use of a new cartridge with a heavy bullet, which would have sufficient lethality and high accuracy of combat over the entire sighting range up to 400 m. Sniper shooting at such a range required the creation of new optical (day) and electron-optical (night) ) sights.

Partial disassembly of the VSS sniper rifle.

The main parts of the rifle VSS "Vintorez" and the machine gun and AS "Val".

1. Silencer; 2. Barrel with receiver, 3. Trigger mechanism; 4. Gas tube; 5.Return mechanism;6. Bolt frame with a gas piston; 7. Bolt; 8. Mainspring; 9. Drummer; 10. Receiver cover; Shop;

Since the special forces had to carry all the necessary equipment to carry out combat missions behind enemy lines, very stringent requirements were imposed on the new weapon in terms of weight and dimensions. In addition, for a number of special operations, such a rifle had to be disassembled into small-sized main components, which made it possible to covertly transfer it and quickly transfer it to a combat position.

Based on the requirements, research on the topic "Vintorez" was carried out by Klimov gunsmiths in the following areas:

• development of the technical feasibility of ensuring the range of effective firing from a silent sniper rifle (i.e. firing at a distance of 400 m, at which the probability of hitting the target should be at least 0.8);
• choice of the principle of muffling the sound of a shot and reducing its flame;
• development of a design scheme for a sniper cartridge with a subsonic bullet speed, which ensures the specified accuracy, striking effect and reliable operation of automation when firing;
• cartridge design and substantiation of its main design parameters;
• development of a constructive scheme of automatic weapons, providing a given accuracy of fire; shot sound level; reliable operation of automation; weight and size characteristics;
• sniper rifle design;
• development of new optical sights.

The design of a special sniper complex at TsNIITOCHMASH began with the creation of a new automatic cartridge designed to defeat enemy manpower in specific conditions.

The main problem that the Klimov designers had to solve was to solve the issue of muffling the sound and the shot.

The intensity of the sound of a shot depends on the muzzle pressure of the powder gases. In addition, the bullet itself, if it has a supersonic muzzle velocity (more than 330 m/s), also generates a shock (ballistic) wave. All this unmasks the firing position of the shooter. To eliminate sound from the ballistic wave, silenced weapons must have a subsonic muzzle velocity. However, the lower the speed of the bullet, the less its destructive effect and the worse the flatness of the trajectory, which significantly reduces the effective range. Thus, in a special small arms for covert use, two incompatible properties had to be combined - the required effective firing range and sufficient damaging effect of a bullet at its relatively low initial speed. Moreover, the suppression of a shot in such a sniper complex could only be achieved using silencers and a subsonic initial speed.

The result of these works was a new 7.62 mm experimental cartridge, consisting of a 7.62 x54 mm sniper rifle cartridge 7 H1 and a 7.62 x25 mm TT pistol cartridge case. This cartridge met the requirements of the tactical and technical task (TTZ) for the Vintorez in terms of accuracy, but its bullet did not provide the necessary lethal effect. In addition, when developing a new sniper cartridge, it was taken into account that in the future, increased requirements for the penetrating effect of a bullet may be imposed on a silent automatic system in the near future. In the course of the work, the issue of unifying the sniper rifle and machine gun according to the ammunition used was also considered.

Trunk VSS and AS

A small barrel length (only 200 mm) with a chrome channel has six right-hand rifling. On the hemp of the barrel there are protrusions with bevels - for preliminary rotation of the shutter at the beginning of its locking.

Receiver VSS and AC

Further work on promising ammunition was aimed at creating a fundamentally new design of the cartridge. A group of specialists from TSNIITOCHMASH, led by Vladimir Fedorovich Krasnikov, developed another 7.62-mm sniper cartridge with a subsonic (300 m / s) bullet speed based on the 5.45 x39-mm automatic cartridge case, which received the index "RG037". His bullet was structurally made according to the bullet design of the 7 H1 rifle sniper cartridge. Its external shape was determined taking into account the requirements of external ballistics for subsonic bullets. The new sniper cartridge had a length of 46 mm, a total weight of 16 g, a bullet weight of 10.6 g, and had excellent accuracy. So, at a distance of 100 m for this cartridge, R50 was 4 cm, and at 400 m - 16.5 cm. However, the new RGO37 cartridge did not allow to confidently hit enemy manpower in anti-fragmentation body armor at a direct shot range of 400 m. Under 7,62- mm cartridge RGO37, a silent sniper rifle was designed, which received the index "RG036". The leading designer of the rifle was Pyotr Ivanovich Serdyukov.

The chosen scheme of operation of automation with a gas engine and a rigid locking of the barrel bore when the bolt was turned ensured reliable operation of the rifle in various operating conditions. The combined silencer, consisting of a chamber muzzle silencer with oblique separator baffles and an expansion chamber for partial discharge of powder gases from the bore, reduced the sound level of the shot to a value similar to the 9 mm PB pistol. But despite the fact that the 7.62 mm the sniper complex consisting of the RG036 rifle and the RG037 cartridge passed preliminary tests, further work with it was discontinued, since by the end of 1985 the USSR Ministry of Defense Industry approved new requirements for a special automatic weapon system - another element of the silent weapon system. Based on the TTZ, it was necessary to create a weapon that allows you to confidently hit group targets (manpower) protected by bulletproof vests of type 6 B2 (protection class III) at a distance of up to 400 m. fire. It was assumed that, for ease of carrying, he would receive a folding butt, in addition, it was possible to equip it with various optical sights. Therefore, it was unequivocally required to unify the sniper and machine gun systems according to the ammunition used.

20-round magazines for a special AS assault rifle with 10-round clips with 9 x39-mm special cartridges (from left to right): 7 H12; SP. 6; SP. five

Cartridge 9x39 / SP-5 / SP-6 / PAB-9

Fuse BCC and AC

Protection against accidental shots when falling, hitting a weapon, accidentally pressing the trigger is provided by a fuse that, when turned on, eliminates the possibility of turning the trigger.

Interpreter for the type of fire VSS and AC

The main mode of shooting from a rifle is single fire. Nevertheless, the design of the trigger located in the receiver provides for the possibility of automatic fire.

*****

Based on the new tasks, the designers were able to correctly assess that the bullet of the 7.62-mm RG037 cartridge would not be able to ensure the defeat of manpower protected by promising personal protective equipment. In accordance with this, the requirements for a silent sniper complex were also revised. Therefore, the designers of TsNIITOCHMASH N.V. Zabelin and L.S. Dvoryaninova had to start work on creating a new 9 x39-mm special SP sniper cartridge based on the cartridge case of the 7.62-mm automatic cartridge of the 1943 model. 5 (index 7 H8) with a heavy bullet weighing 16.2 g (with a subsonic muzzle velocity of 290 m/s). This bullet was more than twice as heavy as the 7.62x39mm cartridge of the 1943 model and almost five times heavier than the 5.45x39mm submachine gun bullet.

Bullet cartridge SP. 5 had a composite core: a steel head (with a truncated top with a diameter of 0.5 mm) and a main lead core, rolled into a bimetallic shell. A steel core to increase the penetrating effect of the bullet was placed in its bow. The lead core not only gave the bullet the necessary mass, but also ensured its cutting into the rifling of the barrel bore. The pointed ogival shape of the bullet provided it with good ballistic properties when flying at subsonic speeds. Despite the subsonic muzzle velocity, a bullet with such a mass had significant kinetic energy - at takeoff it was about 60 kgm, and at a distance of 450 m - 45 kgm.

This was quite enough for a reliable defeat of manpower in light personal protective equipment. Tests have shown that at a distance of up to 400 m, the bullet of the SP. 5 has enough energy to penetrate 2mm steel plate while maintaining the required killing power. Cartridge weight SP. 5–32.2 g, cartridge length - 56 mm, cartridge bullet length - 36 mm. Distinctive color of the bullet of SP cartridges. 5 do not have. Only on corkboard boxes for 10 rounds was the inscription “Sniper”. Already in 1987, a new model of a special sniper weapon, created on the basis of RG036, and re-barreled under the 9-mm SP cartridge. 5 (known under the code name "Vintorez"), are adopted by special forces units of the KGB of the USSR and reconnaissance and sabotage units of the Soviet Armed Forces under the designation "special sniper rifle" (VSS) index 6 P29.

The new weapon, which is a group means of covert attack and defense, was intended to engage targets with sniper fire in conditions requiring silent, flameless firing at open enemy manpower (destruction of enemy command personnel, his reconnaissance groups, observers and sentries), as well as to withdraw from building surveillance devices, elements of military equipment and the destruction of unarmored vehicles at ranges up to 400 m.

The VSS rifle consisted of: a barrel with a receiver; silencer with sights; butt; bolt carrier with gas piston; shutter; return mechanism; percussion mechanism; trigger mechanism; forearm; gas tube; receiver and magazine covers. The automatics of the VSS sniper rifle worked on the principle of removing powder gases from the bore. Locking was carried out by turning the bolt around its axis by 6 lugs. The fuse box, displayed on the right side of the receiver at the same time, closed the groove for the reloading handle, preventing dust and dirt from getting inside. The type of fire translator is mounted inside the trigger guard, behind the trigger. When it is moved horizontally to the right, a single fire is fired, and when moved to the left, automatic fire is fired. The reload handle is located on the right side of the receiver.

Sights consisted of an open sector sight mounted on the silencer body and designed for a firing range of up to 420 m, and a front sight in a namushnik. Food was supplied from a plastic box magazine with a two-row arrangement with a capacity of 10 rounds. The butt is a wooden frame type with a rubber nape. The impact mechanism with a separate mainspring allowed both single and automatic fire. Single fire is the main one for the VSS sniper rifle; it is characterized by high precision. When firing single shots from a prone position from an emphasis on a distance of 100 m in a series of 5 shots, R 50 was 4 cm, and at 400 m - R50–16.5 cm.

At the same time, continuous fire in bursts can be used when a sudden encounter with the enemy at short distances, or when it becomes necessary to hit a target that is not clearly observed. Considering that the capacity of the VSS rifle magazine is only 10 rounds, therefore, automatic fire, as a rule, can be fired in short bursts of 2-4 shots, and in exceptional cases - in one continuous burst until the cartridges in the magazine are used up. Reducing the sound of a shot (up to 130 decibel at a distance of 3 meters from the muzzle - corresponds to the sound level when fired from a small-caliber rifle) was achieved along with a special “integrated type” silencer with a powder gas flow separator using a SP sniper cartridge. 5 with optimal ballistic performance. The "integrated" silencer made it possible to significantly reduce the overall length of the weapon.

Trigger mechanism VSS and AC

The trigger mechanism is of the striker type of the original design, with the possibility of single and automatic fire.

Drummer VSS and AS

The firing pins of the first series of rifles have a striker and a tail, in which there is a hole for the mainspring guide, grooves for guiding in the receiver, protrusions for cocking and for setting the firing pin on the self-timer.

Return mechanism BCC and AC

The return mechanism is designed to return the bolt carrier with the bolt to the forward position after firing or loading the weapon, as well as to fix the receiver cover.

To reduce noise when the moving system hits in the rear position, a polyurethane gasket is provided in the design of the stop of the return mechanism.

Silencer VSS and AC

The muffler housing consists of an expansion chamber for pre-discharge of gases and a muzzle muffler chamber. A separator is installed in the front of the housing.

The principle of operation of the silencer VSS and AC

After the shot, when the bullet passes through the front, perforated part of the barrel, part of the powder gases rush through the side holes in the barrel into the expansion chamber of the muffler. In this case, the pressure of the gases in the bore and their speed after the bullet takes off are reduced.

BCC sniper rifle controls

The daytime optical sight of the PSO-1-1 rifle is similar to the PSO-1 sight of the SVD sniper rifle, but with remote scales for the ballistics of the SP-5 cartridge.

Along with this, the capabilities of the VSS rifle were significantly expanded by a whole range of sights, both optical and night vision. At the request of the customer, sniper rifles were equipped with various sights: for the KGB - optical daytime 1 P43 (allowing daytime aimed shooting at 400 m) and nighttime non-illuminated 1 PN75 (MBNP-1), in the dark, designed for a range of up to 300 m; and for the GRU special forces - respectively - day PSO-1-1 and PO 4 x34 and night - 1 PN51 (NSPU-3). Specially by order of the state security authorities, to ensure concealed carrying, the rifle can be disassembled into three units (barrel with a silencer, a receiver with a trigger mechanism and a butt) and, together with a sight and magazines, is packed in a Diplomat-type suitcase measuring 450 x 370 x 140 mm, moreover the time required to transfer the weapon from the transport position to the combat position is no more than one minute. The VSS rifle kit includes a bag for carrying the sight, four magazines, spare parts, and a bag for carrying the rifle. After the appearance of the SP cartridge. 6 its use in the VSS sniper rifle made it possible to defeat enemy personnel even at the maximum range of aimed fire, and at a distance of 100 m - in body armor up to protection class II inclusive (according to modern classification), which put it on a par with the most formidable types of infantry small arms.

In addition to the PSO-1-1 sight, another daytime optical sight, 1P43, can also be used for firing from the VSS and AS. For shooting at night, the NSPU-3 or MBNP-1 night sight is used.

VSS sniper rifle with a tactical flashlight (top) and a special AS machine gun (bottom) (right view).

In 2000, teachers of the Combined Arms Military Academy named after. Frunze and its branch, Courses "Shot", Colonels V. V. Korablin and A. A. Lovi published in the brochure "Modern Small Arms of Russia" a review of the combat use of this weapon, which allows you to more fully appreciate the high qualities of the VSS sniper rifle: "Commander of a motorized rifle a company of one of the regiments that operated in 1995 in the mountainous region of Yarysh-Morda south of Grozny, now Major V.A. Lukashov, from personal experience, considers the VSS a good addition to the regular weapons of motorized rifle units in those conditions. His company operated in isolation from the main forces of the unit and conducted reconnaissance of the enemy with its own forces and means. The company was supplied with several sets of VSS rifles. The commander of the group allocated for reconnaissance - usually the company commander himself or one of the platoon commanders - was armed, in addition to the standard machine gun, with a VSS rifle and carried it behind his back on a belt. When during reconnaissance it was required to hit an individual target at a distance of up to 400 m, a silent shot from the VSS did not allow the enemy to detect the group. This weapon was also successfully used in other cases that required silent and flameless shooting.

The VSS sniper rifle turned out to be such a successful example of a special small arms that P.I. The new complex included: a special AS machine gun, which is a modernized version of the Vintorez, and a special SP cartridge. 6 with a high penetration bullet.

9-mm AUTOMATIC SPECIAL AS "VAL".

At TSNIITOCHMASH, designer Yu. Z. Frolov and technologist E. S. Kornilova developed a fundamentally new special cartridge SP for the Val automatic complex. 6 (index 7 H9) with an armor-piercing bullet (with a bare core). This bullet had a higher penetrating effect than the bullet of the SP cartridge. 5. Designed to defeat manpower protected by anti-shatter body armor up to and including protection class III (according to modern classification), as well as unarmored vehicles at a distance of up to 400 m, it provided 100% penetration of a 6 mm sheet of special steel at a firing range of 100 m , and at ranges up to 400 m - a 2-mm steel sheet (a steel army helmet (helmet) or a steel sheet 1.6 mm thick and a 25-mm pine board while maintaining a sufficient lethal barrier action, which is equivalent to the penetrating action of the American 5,56- mm automatic rifle M16 A1, 7.62 mm AKM and 5.45 mm AK 74.

Ballistic characteristics of cartridges SP. 5 and SP. 6 are close to each other, so both rounds can be used in weapons with the same scope. Accuracy of bullets cartridge SP. 5 is higher than that of the bullets of the SP cartridge. 6. The design of bullets, their penetrating effect and ballistics determined the purpose of these cartridges: for sniper shooting at openly located unprotected manpower, as a rule, SP cartridges are used. 5, and for hitting targets in personal protective equipment located in vehicles or behind light shelters - SP cartridges. 6.

Bullet cartridge SP. 6 consisted of a steel core, a lead jacket and a bimetallic sheath. Due to its design, the bullet cartridge SP. 6 had a higher penetrating effect than the bullet of the SP cartridge. 5. Heavy bullet SP. 6 had a bimetallic shell with a rear cone and a pointed, heat-strengthened steel core (7.5 mm in diameter) protruding by 6.5 mm in a lead jacket. The steel core of this bullet had a significantly longer length than that of the bullet of the SP cartridge. 5. The length of the leading part of the SP bullet. 6 was reduced to 10 mm by a step that forms a cylindrical centering section (9 mm in diameter and 6 mm long), so that the nose of the bullet protruded from the jacket. The core had an ogival head and a back cone. Bullet weight - 15.6 g. Bullet cartridge SP. 6 had a mass of 15.6 g, a core mass of 10.4 g, with a cartridge mass of 32.0 g. The length of the cartridge was 56 mm, the bullet length was 41 mm. The tip of the bullet cartridge SP. 6 was painted black. The sealed cardboard boxes for these cartridges were marked with a distinctive black stripe. Later, after the appearance of 9-mm automatic cartridges with an armor-piercing bullet 7 H12, the bullet tip of the SP. 6 began to turn blue.

New cartridge SP. 6 received the most flattering reviews from experts. The developers of this cartridge wrote: “The 9-mm cartridge, which has a unique penetrating and damaging effect, will reach your enemy wherever your vision reaches him, simultaneously penetrating any body armor from those that a real person can wear without outside help. And not too long a burst can cause enough damage to disable a truck, a launcher or a radar.”

Incomplete disassembly of a special AS machine.

The AS “Val” submachine gun (index 6 P30) is a personal weapon of covert attack and defense and is designed to engage targets in conditions that require silent, flameless firing at the enemy’s protected manpower, as well as at unarmored or lightly armored military equipment. The AS submachine gun consisted of : barrel with receiver; pistol grip and stock; silencer with sights; bolt carrier with gas piston; shutter; return mechanism; percussion mechanism; trigger mechanism; forearm; gas tube; receiver and magazine covers.

Automation machine AS "Val" worked on the principle of removal of powder gases from the bore. Locking was also carried out by turning the bolt on 6 lugs. The striker-type trigger mechanism was designed for single and automatic fire. The type of fire translator is mounted at the rear of the trigger guard. The fuse box, which excludes a shot when the trigger is accidentally pressed and the bore is unlocked, is displayed on the right side of the receiver above the pistol fire control grip. The reload handle is located on the right side of the receiver. The sighting device consists of an open sight designed for a firing range of up to 420 m and a front sight in the front sight. Cartridges are fed from double-row plastic box magazines with a capacity of 20 rounds. To speed up the equipment of the store, the machine comes with clips with a capacity of 10 rounds.

Unlike the AK 74 assault rifle, the adapter for attaching the clip to the magazine was assembled with the clip. To reduce the sound level, a special device was used for silent-flameless shooting of the “integrated type”. The design of the AS machine gun was 70% unified with the BCC sniper rifle, including the types of sights used. However, the assault rifle, unlike the rifle, received a new 20-round magazine (fully interchangeable with the 10-round magazine from the BCC) and a metal frame stock that folded onto the left side of the receiver, which made it much more compact and maneuverable. The AS assault rifle is convenient for conducting combat operations in limited volumes: in buildings, underpasses, trenches, etc.; when moving in thickets, bushes, boarding and disembarking in vehicles; when landing. From the AS machine you can conduct aimed fire with a folded butt. Like a rifle, the machine is equipped with day and night sights.

Special machine AS with optical sight PSO-1-1.

The cartridges for the VSS rifle and the AS submachine gun are also interchangeable. Compared to the Vintorez rifle, the Val submachine gun is more suitable for automatic fire at targets protected by bulletproof vests at ranges up to 200 m using the SP cartridge. 6 short bursts of 2-4 shots; for unprotected targets - patron SP. 5, in tense moments of battle at short distances - in long bursts of 6-8 shots, and if necessary - with continuous fire until the cartridges in the magazine are used up. For single targets, single fire is more efficient and economical.

In all cases, the sound of the shot and the flames are significantly reduced by the silencer, making it difficult for the enemy to determine the position of the shooter. In terms of the reliability of the operation of automation, including in difficult conditions, it is not inferior to the legendary Kalashnikov assault rifle, but weighs a whole kilogram less, which is extremely important in battle. scope carry bag and vest to accommodate and carry six magazines; two flares or one flare and a knife; three hand grenades; PSS pistol and a spare magazine for it. The production of the VSS sniper rifle and the special AS machine gun was mastered by the Tula Arms Plant.

Special machine AS with a night sight 1 PN93-1.

Special purpose weapons - VSS sniper rifles and special AS submachine guns, which have passed all the wars and military conflicts of the last thirty years with dignity, deservedly enjoy prestige not only in the elite special forces units, but also in the Russian Armed Forces. Currently, VSS rifles are used as additional and very effective weapons in reconnaissance units of paratroopers and motorized rifle units.

More about optical sights in the next article, which will cover modifications like:

PSO-1.

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