The PSS Silent Pistol was a military, semiautomatic handgun fielded by the Soviet Army and the Russian Ground Forces from 1983 to 2002. It was specially developed for the Soviet Elite Forces and the KGB personnel, and it was manufactured in great number by the State-run Tula Arms Plant. Although its 7.62mm caliber was small compared to the standard 9mm caliber used in most military and police pistols, the PSS used a powerful cartridge; a 7.62x41mm-SP4, which was almost the size of the 7.62x51mm FN FAL rifle cartridge. Therefore, the Silent pistol had a high penetration power.
Technical Characteristics
It would be redundant to say that they called it “silent” pistol because it made a very low, muffled noise when it was fired. Then let me tell you about the technical characteristic that made it a “silent’ handgun. When the cartridge was ignited by the percussion pin, its charge pushed an inner piston backwards as it boosted the bullet out of the handgun barrel. Just before it was ejected, the cartridge casing was sealed, preventing the full explosion and smoke from coming out of the casing with full force and sound. Thus, the detonation was sharply muffled. But, in order to make it possible, the metal casing was long and wrapped up the whole bullet length.
The PSS Silent pistol used a recoil operating system for the ejection of the cartridge casing and the reloading of a new one into the breech. It is a system where the ignition force push the slider and the bolt backward as the empty casing is ejected. It was a short, compact, yet sturdy gun, which could conveniently be concealed in any garment pocket or holder. The safety switch was on the left hand side of gun, while the ejection port was on the right side. Its moving parts were made of high quality steel, which withstood wear, making it a very reliable pistol as it never got jammed.
Specifications
Type: self-loading pistol
Cartridge: 7.62x41mm
Weight: 0.7 kg
Barrel Length: 3.5 cm
Full Length: 16.5 cm
Action: recoil mechanism
Muzzle Velocity: 200 m/s
Effective Range: 25 m
Feed: 6-round magazine
Below, left side view of the PSS Silent pistol. You can see the safety lever.
