PSS (MSS VUL)

PSS (MSS VUL) History

The world of Night and Sword of the Cold War (1947-1991) required specialized weapons for special forces. One mission that can be performed on a regular basis is assassination, which has led to the development of various silenced weapons with the sole purpose of quietly killing a target - be it an important person or an unsuspecting sentinel. Soviet engineers assembled a compact weapon that mimicked the form and function of a small concealable sidearm called a "PSS" (it was also known by the MSS "VUL" ("wool") designation).

As we all know, PSS was issued for members of the famous Spetsnaz special forces, and the introduction of the service took place in 1983. The design is believed to be still in service today (2015).

While many aspects of the PSS design are traditional, a key feature that stands out for the weapon is its cartridge, which received the official designation "7.62x42mm SP-4". It has a "neck" casing that holds the bullet, a small piston and the propellant charge. The end result of this design is a pistol that, when fired, hides any indication that it was fired. Since propellant gases are contained within the gun during the operation, all the resulting smoke, pilot flashes and noises are contained - reducing the likelihood of the operator abandoning his position.

The recoil-operated fire action is responsible for ejecting the spent ammunition and inserting the new unit into the firebox to restart the process. The trigger is a standard double-action (DA) design and is fed from a detachable six-round magazine that is standard mounted on the bottom of the grip.

Aiming is arranged by means of a fixed blade.

Due to its unique design and cartridge, the weapon has a limited effective range of up to 25 meters. It can - with reduced accuracy - hit targets with some lethality at ranges of up to 50 meters.

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Changes