The Russian military pistols are among the most renowned and mechanically reliable handguns in history. Russia began the production of their own military pistols during the Soviet Union era, with the Tokarev TT-30/33 being the first one as it was in service from 1931 to the 1993. It was mass-produced during World War II and it was the Red Army officers’ handgun.
The main characteristics of all Russian pistols are reliability and precision as they are made of high quality materials and their moving parts never get jammed, just like the classic AK-47. Russia has developed and produced a wider variety of standard issue military pistols than the United States of America, and in different calibers, and they have all been used in major armed conflicts, such as the Korean and Vietnam War.
List of Soviet/Russian Military Pistols
Tokarev TT-33: 7.62mm caliber, semiautomatic, single action.
Makarov: 9mm, semiautomatic, blowback system. Effective range: 50 m.
Stechkin: 9mm, automatic, blowback mechanism. Effective range: 100 m.
PSS Silent Pistol: 7.62mm (cartridge 7.62x41mm), semiautomatic. Effective range: 25 m.
SR-1 Vektor: 9mm, semiautomatic, 18-round magazine. Effective range: 50 m.
SR-2 Udav: 9x21mm cartridge, semiautomatic, 18-round magazine.
GSh-18: 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge, semiautomatic, short recoil system with locked breech. Effective range: 50 m.
MP-443 Grach: 9x19mm Parabellum, semiautomatic, double-action, short recoil, fed from 18-round magazine, ambidextrous safety lever. Effective range: 50 m.
Below, the Tokarev TT-33 pistol, which was used in WW2, the Korean War, and in Vietnam
Below, the pistol that was used by the Soviet secret agents during the Cold War: the PSS Silent Pistol
Below, the MP-443 Grach, which is in service today with the Russian Ground Forces
