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PP-19 Bizon (Bison)

1996 MODERN

History

The Russian Interior Ministry has requested a new melee light weapons system for special forces and internal security. The weapon will be able to repeatedly fire a large amount of fire at range with excellent accuracy, and provide a powerful kill in a compact package that falls into the submachine gun category. Various shapes were considered and experimented until the prototype PP-19 Bizon became the most popular. Design work on the Bizon was led by Viktor Kalashnikov, son of renowned gunsmith Mikhail Kalashnikov, from 1993 to 1995. Advanced Kalashnikovs are already world-renowned for designing the ubiquitous AK-47 family of pneumatic attack aircraft. and its many variants.

Thus, the Bizon itself was born out of true Kalashnikov bloodline, bringing with it many of the reasons that made the early design so reliable and popular with countless users. Shortly thereafter, the production of the new weapon began and was followed by the longtime Izhmash.

The PP-19 has been in service since 1996 and is distributed to Russian special forces (including special forces) and several internal state security forces.

The firing action of the Bizon is based on the "direct blowback principle" using a closed bolt arrangement. There is a fire selector switch that allows for different ignition modes (safety, semi-automatic and fully automatic) depending on the operator's current needs. The appearance of the receiver (inherited from the AKS-74) is a standard Kalashnikov style, and the loading handle and ejection port are located on the right side of the receiver.

The black fiberglass polyamide pistol grip (from the newer AK-100 series) is angled slightly back and has no ergonomic finger grooves. The arc trigger (adapted from the AK-74 assault rifle) is housed in a large rectangular trigger guard that fits easily in a gloved hand. Kalashnikov-style magazine release markings are on the front of the trigger assembly and behind the magazine feed. The barrel assembly is covered by a metal front end with three horizontal cooling slots. The double strut shoulder stock (from the AKS-74) hinged and folded on the left side of the gun body and did not affect the function of the gun in any way.

The collapsible stock allows for a more compact form suitable for close combat requirements such as special forces and security forces. The barrel protrudes a short distance in front of the forearm and is restrained by a slotted muzzle brake.

The Bizon retained AK-style sights on the front of the upper receiver (similar to the AKS-74U series), and also installed front sights behind the muzzle brake.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of the Bizon is its cylindrical "spiral" magazine, which sits under the lower receiver and front end. This drum magazine approach allows for greater ammo capacity in a compact form, but also requires a fairly sophisticated internal feed mechanism to manage each round at speed as it is loaded into the receiver bullet. This undoubtedly increases the possibility of internal interference during the basic ignition function.

The basic Bizon is fired from a 64-round drum. The weapon was originally mounted for the 9x18mm Makarov cartridge, but has since been expanded to include the 9x19mm Parabellum, .380 ACP and 7.62x25mm Tokarev rounds.

The rate of fire of the PP-19 Bizon is between 650 and 700 rounds per minute. It weighs about 4.6 pounds and has a muzzle velocity of over 1,000 ft/s (depending on the type of ammunition used). In turn, the effective range is up to 200 meters, depending on the chosen cartridge. Overall length is 26 inches with shaft extension.

When folded, it shrinks to a very compact 16 inches.

The original Bizon production model was simply the letters "Bizon", which was changed to "Bizon-1" after the arrival of "Bizon-2". Bizon-2 is actually a family of modified gun subgroups from Bizon-2-01 to Bizon-2-07, each with different chambers, ammo counts, and functions. The Bizon-2-01 is loaded with a 9x19 Parabellum cartridge and uses a 53-round magazine. The Bizon-2-02 is designed for . 380 ACP and has a 64 round magazine.

Bizon-2-03 is loaded with 9x18 Makarov cartridges and is equipped with an integrated silencer for covert work. The Bizon-2-04 is similar in that it uses the 9x18 Makarov cartridge, but is a shortened "carbine" basic shape with semi-automatic fire capability.

The Bizon-2-05 is armed with a 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge and is a fire-only semi-automatic variant. Bizon-2-06 is designed for . 380 ACP and only offers semi-automatic fire.

The Bizon-2-07 is loaded for the 7.62x25mm Tokarev and interestingly has a 35-round detachable magazine above the original spiral drum. The Bizon-3 went into production following the Bizon-2, with minor changes to the overall design, including repositioned rear-view mirrors, flip-up stock and muzzle adapter.

Since then, Bizon has seen fighting in the Second Chechen War and most recently the 2008 war with Georgia over South Ossetia. The name "Bison" means "Bison".