Stechkin APS (Automatic Pistol Stechkin)

History of Stechkin APS (Automatic Pistol Stechkin)

Equipping logistics, special roles and second-line units in war has always been a challenge. This role is usually filled by a submachine gun, but sometimes a more portable, more portable offensive weapon is required.

During the East-West Cold War (1947-1991), the Soviet Union tried to solve this problem within itself, urging local industry to develop a new melee weapon. The Stechkin is an automatic pistol with features more similar to a submachine gun, a bridge between a semi-automatic pistol and a submachine gun.

The official name of Stechkin is "Avtomaticheskiy Pistolet Stechkina" or "APS" which literally means "Automatic Pistol Stechkin".

Igor Stechkin is credited with designing the pistol, hence the name, and work began in the late 1940s and continued until the early 1950s.

At the heart of the design is a recoil operating system centered on the Soviet 9x18mm Makarov pistol cartridge. The pistol has selective fire capability and can achieve an accuracy of 655 feet while maintaining a rate of fire of 750 rounds per minute. The muzzle velocity of the fired bullet reaches 1115 meters per second.

To improve the accuracy of fully automatic fire, an optional fixed shoulder rest is mounted on the bottom of the grip. Sighting was done through an iron assembly and sidearms that more or less mimicked in appearance the various John Browning-inspired semi-automatic service pistols of the time.

After official evaluation and testing, this automatic pistol entered service in 1951. Serial production is carried out at the Vytatsky Polyany Machine Building Plant. The APS pistols were produced from 1951 to 1958 and were issued to vehicles and artillery as well as to some officer rank candidates.

Security forces quickly picked up the model and sold it on foreign markets, where there were many buyers.

By design, the sidearm weighs 2.7 lbs, has an overall length of 8.9 inches, and the barrel assembly is 5.5 inches long. Feeds from a 20-round detachable magazine inserted into the bottom of the grip. On the receiver are the usual pistol controls, including a rate selector and safety.

In action, the Stechkin proved its worth, but it quickly proved to be a big, heavy weapon. It's uncomfortable to hold, and its high rate of fire makes it prone to jamming, while its combat range is limited.

This led to the series being withdrawn from active duty on a large scale, although Soviet/Russian special forces continued to value the weapon and appreciate the pistol's "strike" at close range.

Overall, the operators include common Soviet allies and customers in Armenia, Angola, Cuba, Georgia, Libya, Romania, Ukraine, Syria and Tanzania. In Romania, the weapon is considered the "Dracula Type 98" (1998) and is chambered for the German 9x19mm Parabellum pistol cartridge.

Several modifications were made to the weapon to produce this local brand.

The APB became a silenced version of the original APS pistol. This form appeared in the 1970s, and about 2,000 were manufactured from 1972 to 1973. Changes include a longer barrel assembly, reduced muzzle velocity and optional wire.

The barrel is threaded to accommodate a suppressor assembly that reduces the noise of firing bullets. This weapon became another high-quality version of the Soviet/Russian Special Forces Stechkin pistol, which is still in use today (2017).

Stechkin is known to have been used in combat in the Vietnam War (1955-1975) and the Soviet War in Afghanistan. It is also an important player in the ongoing Donbas War between Russia and Ukraine.

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