Thanks to Soviet films about the war, most people have a strong opinion that the mass-produced small arms (photo below) of the German infantry during the Second World War is a machine gun (submachine gun) of the Schmeisser system, which is named after the name of its designer. This myth is still actively supported by domestic cinema. However, in fact, this popular machine gun was never a mass weapon of the Wehrmacht, and it was not created by Hugo Schmeisser. However, first things first.
How myths are created
Everyone should remember the footage from domestic films dedicated to the attacks of German infantry on our positions. Brave blond guys walk without bending down, while firing from machine guns “from the hip.” And the most interesting thing is that this fact does not surprise anyone except those who were in the war. According to movies, the “Schmeissers” could conduct aimed fire at the same distance as the rifles of our soldiers. In addition, when watching these films, the viewer got the impression that all the personnel of the German infantry during the Second World War were armed with machine guns. In fact, everything was different, and the submachine gun is not a mass-produced small arms weapon of the Wehrmacht, and it is impossible to shoot from the hip, and it is not called “Schmeisser” at all. In addition, carrying out an attack on a trench by a submachine gunner unit, in which there are soldiers armed with repeating rifles, is clearly suicide, since simply no one would reach the trenches.
Dispelling the myth: MP-40 automatic pistol
This Wehrmacht small weapon in WWII is officially called the submachine gun (Maschinenpistole) MP-40. In fact, this is a modification of the MP-36 assault rifle. The designer of this model, contrary to popular belief, was not the gunsmith H. Schmeisser, but the less famous and talented craftsman Heinrich Volmer. Why is the nickname “Schmeisser” so firmly attached to him? The thing is that Schmeisser owned the patent for the magazine that is used in this submachine gun. And in order not to violate his copyright, in the first batches of the MP-40, the inscription PATENT SCHMEISSER was stamped on the magazine receiver. When these machine guns ended up as trophies among the soldiers of the Allied armies, they mistakenly believed that the author of this model of small arms was, naturally, Schmeisser. This is how this nickname stuck to the MP-40.
Initially, the German command armed only command staff with machine guns. Thus, in infantry units, only battalion, company and squad commanders were supposed to have MP-40s. Later, automatic pistols were supplied to drivers of armored vehicles, tank crews and paratroopers. Nobody armed the infantry with them en masse, either in 1941 or after. According to archives, in 1941 the troops had only 250 thousand MP-40 assault rifles, and this was for 7,234,000 people. As you can see, a submachine gun is not at all mass weapons Second World War. In general, during the entire period - from 1939 to 1945 - only 1.2 million of these machine guns were produced, while over 21 million people were conscripted into the Wehrmacht units.
Why weren't the infantry armed with MP-40s?
Despite the fact that experts subsequently recognized that the MP-40 was the best small arms of World War II, very few of the Wehrmacht infantry units had it. This can be explained simply: the effective firing range of this machine gun for group targets is only 150 m, and for single targets - 70 m. This despite the fact that soviet soldiers were armed with Mosin and Tokarev rifles (SVT), the sighting range of which was 800 m for group targets and 400 m for single targets. If the Germans had fought with such weapons as they showed in Russian films, they would never have been able to reach the enemy trenches, they would have simply been shot, as if in a shooting gallery.
Shooting on the move "from the hip"
The MP-40 submachine gun vibrates strongly when firing, and if you use it, as shown in the films, the bullets always fly past the target. Therefore, for effective shooting, it must be pressed tightly to the shoulder, having first unfolded the butt. In addition, long bursts were never fired from this machine gun, since it quickly heated up. Most often they fired in a short burst of 3-4 rounds or fired single fire. Despite the fact that in tactical and technical characteristics it is indicated that the rate of fire is 450-500 rounds per minute; in practice, such a result has never been achieved.
Advantages of MP-40
This cannot be said that this small arms weapon was bad; on the contrary, it is very, very dangerous, but it must be used in close combat. That is why sabotage units were armed with it in the first place. They were also often used by scouts in our army, and the partisans respected this machine gun. The use of light, rapid-fire small arms in close combat provided tangible advantages. Even now, the MP-40 is very popular among criminals, and the price of such a machine gun is very high. And they are supplied there by “black archaeologists” who carry out excavations in places of military glory and very often find and restore weapons from the Second World War.
Mauser 98k
What can you say about this carbine? The most common small arms in Germany is the Mauser rifle. Its target range is up to 2000 m when firing. As you can see, this parameter is very close to the Mosin and SVT rifles. This carbine was developed back in 1888. During the war, this design was significantly modernized, mainly to reduce costs, as well as to rationalize production. In addition, these Wehrmacht small arms were equipped with optical sights, and sniper units were equipped with them. The Mauser rifle at that time was in service with many armies, for example, Belgium, Spain, Turkey, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Yugoslavia and Sweden.
Self-loading rifles
At the end of 1941, the Wehrmacht infantry units received the first automatic self-loading rifles of the Walter G-41 and Mauser G-41 systems for military testing. Their appearance was due to the fact that the Red Army had more than one and a half million similar systems in service: SVT-38, SVT-40 and ABC-36. In order not to be inferior to Soviet soldiers, German gunsmiths urgently had to develop their own versions of such rifles. As a result of the tests, the G-41 system (Walter system) was recognized as the best and adopted. The rifle is equipped with a hammer-type impact mechanism. Designed to fire only single shots. Equipped with a magazine with a capacity of ten rounds. This automatic self-loading rifle is designed for targeted shooting at a distance of up to 1200 m. However, due to the large weight of this weapon, as well as low reliability and sensitivity to contamination, it was produced in a small series. In 1943, the designers, having eliminated these shortcomings, proposed a modernized version of the G-43 (Walter system), which was produced in quantities of several hundred thousand units. Before its appearance, Wehrmacht soldiers preferred to use captured Soviet (!) SVT-40 rifles.
Now let's return to the German gunsmith Hugo Schmeisser. He developed two systems, without which the Second World War could not have happened.
Small arms - MP-41
This model was developed simultaneously with the MP-40. This machine gun was significantly different from the “Schmeisser” familiar to everyone from the movies: it had a forend trimmed with wood, which protected the fighter from burns, it was heavier and had a long barrel. However, these Wehrmacht small arms were not widely used and were not produced for long. In total, about 26 thousand units were produced. It is believed that the German army abandoned this machine gun due to a lawsuit from ERMA, which claimed illegal copying of its patented design. The MP-41 small arms were used by Waffen SS units. It was also successfully used by Gestapo units and mountain rangers.
MP-43, or StG-44
Schmeisser developed the next Wehrmacht weapon (photo below) in 1943. At first it was called MP-43, and later - StG-44, which means “assault rifle” (sturmgewehr). This automatic rifle in appearance, and in some technical characteristics, it resembles (which appeared later), and is significantly different from the MP-40. Its aimed fire range was up to 800 m. The StG-44 even had the ability to mount a 30 mm grenade launcher. To fire from cover, the designer developed a special attachment that was placed on the muzzle and changed the trajectory of the bullet by 32 degrees. This weapon went into mass production only in the fall of 1944. During the war years, about 450 thousand of these rifles were produced. So few of the German soldiers managed to use such a machine gun. StG-44s were supplied to elite units of the Wehrmacht and to Waffen SS units. Subsequently, these Wehrmacht weapons were used in
Automatic rifles FG-42
These copies were intended for paratroopers. They combined the fighting qualities of a light machine gun and an automatic rifle. The development of weapons was undertaken by the Rheinmetall company already during the war, when, after assessing the results of airborne operations carried out by the Wehrmacht, it became clear that the MP-38 submachine guns did not fully meet the combat requirements of this type of troops. The first tests of this rifle were carried out in 1942, and then it was put into service. In the process of using the mentioned weapon, disadvantages associated with low strength and stability during automatic shooting also emerged. In 1944, a modernized FG-42 rifle (model 2) was released, and model 1 was discontinued. Trigger This weapon allows automatic or single fire. The rifle is designed for the standard 7.92 mm Mauser cartridge. The magazine capacity is 10 or 20 rounds. In addition, the rifle can be used to fire special rifle grenades. In order to increase stability when shooting, a bipod is attached under the barrel. The FG-42 rifle is designed to fire at a range of 1200 m. Due to the high cost, it was produced in limited quantities: only 12 thousand units of both models.
Luger P08 and Walter P38
Now let's look at what types of pistols were in service with the German army. “Luger”, its second name “Parabellum”, had a caliber of 7.65 mm. By the beginning of the war, units of the German army had more than half a million of these pistols. This Wehrmacht small arms were produced until 1942, and then they were replaced by the more reliable Walter.
This pistol was put into service in 1940. It was intended for firing 9-mm cartridges; the magazine capacity is 8 rounds. The target range of the "Walter" is 50 meters. It was produced until 1945. Total number P38 pistols produced amounted to approximately 1 million units.
Weapons of World War II: MG-34, MG-42 and MG-45
In the early 30s, the German military decided to create a machine gun that could be used both as an easel and as a manual one. They were supposed to fire at enemy aircraft and arm tanks. The MG-34, designed by Rheinmetall and put into service in 1934, became such a machine gun. By the beginning of hostilities, there were about 80 thousand units of this weapon in the Wehrmacht. The machine gun allows you to fire both single shots and continuous fire. To do this, he had a trigger with two notches. When you press the top one, the shooting was carried out in single shots, and when you press the bottom one - in bursts. It was intended for 7.92x57 mm Mauser rifle cartridges, with light or heavy bullets. And in the 40s, armor-piercing, armor-piercing tracer, armor-piercing incendiary and other types of cartridges were developed and used. This suggests that the impetus for changes in weapons systems and the tactics of their use was the Second World War.
The small arms that were used in this company were replenished with a new type of machine gun - MG-42. It was developed and put into service in 1942. The designers have significantly simplified and reduced the cost of production of these weapons. Thus, in its production, spot welding and stamping were widely used, and the number of parts was reduced to 200. The trigger mechanism of the machine gun in question allowed only automatic firing - 1200-1300 rounds per minute. Such significant changes had a negative impact on the stability of the unit when firing. Therefore, to ensure accuracy, it was recommended to fire in short bursts. The ammunition for the new machine gun remained the same as for the MG-34. The aimed fire range was two kilometers. Work to improve this design continued until the end of 1943, which led to the creation of a new modification known as the MG-45.
This machine gun weighed only 6.5 kg, and the rate of fire was 2400 rounds per minute. By the way, no infantry machine gun of that time could boast of such a rate of fire. However, this modification appeared too late and was not in service with the Wehrmacht.
PzB-39 and Panzerschrek
PzB-39 was developed in 1938. These weapons of the Second World War were used with relative success at the initial stage to combat wedges, tanks and armored vehicles with bulletproof armor. Against the heavily armored B-1s, English Matildas and Churchills, Soviet T-34s and KVs), this gun was either ineffective or completely useless. As a result, it was soon replaced by anti-tank grenade launchers and rocket-propelled anti-tank rifles “Panzerschrek”, “Ofenror”, as well as the famous “Faustpatrons”. The PzB-39 used a 7.92 mm cartridge. The firing range was 100 meters, the penetration ability made it possible to “pierce” 35 mm armor.
"Panzerschrek". This is German light anti-tank The weapon is a modified copy of the American Bazooka jet gun. German designers equipped it with a shield that protected the shooter from the hot gases escaping from the grenade nozzle. Anti-tank companies of motorized rifle regiments were supplied with these weapons as a matter of priority. tank divisions. Rocket guns were extremely powerful weapons. “Panzerschreks” were weapons for group use and had a maintenance crew consisting of three people. Since they were very complex, their use required special training in calculations. In total, 314 thousand units of such guns and more than two million rocket-propelled grenades for them were produced in 1943-1944.
Grenade launchers: “Faustpatron” and “Panzerfaust”
The first years of World War II showed that anti-tank rifles could not cope with the assigned tasks, so the German military demanded anti-tank weapons that could be used to equip infantrymen, operating on the “fire and throw” principle. The development of a disposable hand grenade launcher was started by HASAG in 1942 (chief designer Langweiler). And in 1943 mass production was launched. The first 500 Faustpatrons entered service in August of the same year. All models of this anti-tank grenade launcher had a similar design: they consisted of a barrel (a smooth-bore seamless tube) and an over-caliber grenade. The impact mechanism and sighting device were welded to the outer surface of the barrel.
The Panzerfaust is one of the most powerful modifications of the Faustpatron, which was developed at the end of the war. Its firing range was 150 m, and its armor penetration was 280-320 mm. The Panzerfaust was a reusable weapon. The barrel of the grenade launcher is equipped with a pistol grip, which houses the trigger mechanism; the propellant charge was placed in the barrel. In addition, the designers were able to increase the grenade's flight speed. In total, more than eight million grenade launchers of all modifications were manufactured during the war years. This type of weapon caused significant losses to Soviet tanks. Thus, in the battles on the outskirts of Berlin, they knocked out about 30 percent of armored vehicles, and during street battles in the German capital - 70%.
Conclusion
The Second World War had a significant impact on small arms, including the world, its development and tactics of use. Based on its results, we can conclude that, despite the creation of the most modern weapons, the role of small arms units is not diminishing. The accumulated experience in using weapons in those years is still relevant today. In fact, it became the basis for development, as well as improvement small arms.
The Second World War significantly influenced the development of small arms, which remained the most in mass form weapons. The share of combat losses from it was 28-30%, which is quite an impressive figure, considering mass application aviation, artillery and tanks...
The war showed that with the creation of the most modern means of armed struggle, the role of small arms did not decrease, and the attention that was paid to them in the warring states during these years increased significantly. The experience gained in the use of weapons during the war is not outdated today, having become the basis for the development and improvement of small arms.
7.62 mm rifle model 1891 Mosin system
The rifle was developed by Russian army captain S.I. Mosin and in 1891 adopted by the Russian army under the designation “7.62 mm rifle model 1891”. After modernization in 1930, it was put into mass production and was in service with the Red Army before World War II and during the war. Rifle mod. 1891/1930 was distinguished by high reliability, accuracy, simplicity and ease of use. In total, more than 12 million model rifles were manufactured during the war years. 1891/1930 and carbines created on its basis.
7.62 mm sniper rifle of the Mosin system
The sniper rifle differed from a regular rifle by the presence of an optical sight, a bolt handle bent to the bottom, and improved processing of the barrel bore.
7.62 mm rifle of the 1940 model of the Tokarev system
The rifle was developed by F.V. Tokarev, in accordance with the desire of the military command and the highest political leadership of the country to have a self-loading rifle in service with the Red Army, which would allow rational consumption of cartridges and provide a greater target range of fire. Mass production of SVT-38 rifles began in the second half of 1939. The first batches of rifles were sent to the Red Army units involved in Soviet-Finnish war 1939–1940 In the extreme conditions of this “winter” war, such shortcomings of the rifle as bulkiness, heavy weight, inconvenience of gas control, sensitivity to pollution and low temperature were revealed. To eliminate these shortcomings, the rifle was modernized, and production of its modernized version, SVT-40, began on June 1, 1940.
7.62 mm sniper rifle of the Tokarev system
The sniper version of the SVT-40 differed from the production samples by a more careful fitting of the trigger elements, qualitatively better processing of the barrel bore and a special boss on the receiver for installing a bracket with an optical sight on it. On sniper rifle The SVT-40 was equipped with a specially created PU sight (universal sight) with 3.5x magnification. It allowed firing at a range of up to 1300 meters. The weight of the rifle with the sight was 4.5 kg. Sight weight - 270 g.
14.5 mm anti-tank rifle PTRD-41
This gun was developed by V.A. Degtyarev in 1941 to fight enemy tanks. The PTRD was a powerful weapon - at a distance of up to 300 m, its bullet penetrated armor 35-40 mm thick. The incendiary effect of the bullets was also high. Thanks to this, the gun was successfully used throughout the Second World War. Its production was discontinued only in January 1945.
7.62 mm DP light machine gun
A light machine gun created by designer V.A. Degtyarev in 1926, became the most powerful automatic weapon of the rifle departments of the Red Army. The machine gun was put into service in February 1927 under the name "7.62-mm light machine gun DP" (DP meant Degtyarev - infantry). The low weight (for a machine gun) was achieved thanks to the use of an automation scheme based on the principle of removal of powder gases through a hole in a fixed barrel, a rational design and arrangement of parts of the moving system, as well as the use of air cooling of the barrel. The target firing range of a machine gun is 1500 m, the maximum flight range of a bullet is 3000 m. Of those fired during the Great Patriotic War Of the 1515.9 thousand machine guns, the vast majority were Degtyarev light machine guns.
7.62 mm submachine gun of the Degtyarev system
The PPD was adopted for service in 1935, becoming the first submachine gun to become widespread in the Red Army. The PPD was designed for a modified 7.62 Mauser pistol cartridge. The firing range of the PPD reached 500 meters. The trigger mechanism of the weapon made it possible to fire both single shots and bursts. There were a number of modifications of the PPD with improved magazine mounting and modified production technology.
7.62 mm submachine gun of the Shpagin system mod. 1941
The PPSh (Shpagin submachine gun) was adopted by the Red Army in December 1940 under the name “7.62 mm Shpagin system submachine gun model 1941 (PPSh-41).” The main advantage of the PPSh-41 was that only its barrel required careful machining. All other metal parts were made mainly by cold stamping from sheet metal. The parts were connected using spot and arc electric welding and rivets. You can disassemble and reassemble the submachine gun without a screwdriver - there is not a single screw connection in it. From the first quarter of 1944, submachine guns began to be equipped with sector magazines with a capacity of 35 rounds, which were more convenient and cheaper to produce. In total, more than six million PPSh were produced.
7.62 mm pistol of the Tokarev system mod. 1933
The development of pistols in the USSR practically began from scratch. However, already at the beginning of 1931, the Tokarev system pistol, recognized as the most reliable, light and compact, was adopted for service. In mass production of the TT (Tula, Tokarev), which began in 1933, the details of the trigger mechanism, barrel and frame were changed. The target firing range of the TT is 50 meters, the bullet flight range is from 800 meters to 1 kilometer. Capacity – 8 rounds of 7.62 mm caliber. The total production of TT pistols for the period from 1933 to the end of their production in the mid-50s is estimated at 1,740,000 units.
PPS-42(43)
The PPSh-41, which was in service with the Red Army, turned out to be - mainly due to its too large size and weight - not convenient enough when conducting combat in populated areas, indoors, for reconnaissance officers, paratroopers and crews of combat vehicles. In addition, in wartime conditions it was necessary to reduce the costs of mass production of submachine guns. In this regard, a competition was announced to develop a new submachine gun for the army. The Sudayev submachine gun, developed in 1942, won this competition and was put into service at the end of 1942 under the name PPS-42. The design, modified the following year, called PPS-43 (the barrel and butt were shortened, the cocking handle, the safety box and the shoulder rest latch were changed, the barrel casing and receiver were combined into one part) was also adopted. The PPS is often called the best submachine gun of World War II. It is distinguished by its convenience, sufficiently high combat capabilities for a submachine gun, high reliability, and compactness. At the same time, the PPS is very technologically advanced, simple and cheap to produce, which was especially important in conditions of a difficult, protracted war, with a constant lack of material and labor resources. The PPS was developed in besieged Leningrad, based on a compilation of its own project and the project of Lieutenant Technician I.K. Bezruchko-Vysotsky (design of the shutter and return system). Its production was launched there, at the Sestroretsk Arms Plant, initially for the needs of the Leningrad Front. While food for Leningraders was coming to the besieged city along the road of life, not only refugees, but also new weapons were being taken back from the city.
In total, about 500,000 units of PPS of both modifications were produced during the war.
Sniper rifles of the Second World War period belonged mainly to the second generation of sniper weapons. Now the rifles were not assembled from a bulk finished batch of linear ones, but were manufactured - based on the same standard military rifle - with better quality and some differences in details. They moved from “adapting” commercial sights to producing special ones that met “military” requirements.
Let's take a look at what weapons were used by snipers from different armies.
USSR
In 1929–1930 in the USSR, a modernization of the 7.62-mm magazine rifle model 1891 (“three-line”) was carried out. The dragoon model (an infantry rifle with longer the barrel was discontinued back in 1923). The mechanical sight was changed, the front sight became cylindrical and received a fuse, instead of a box-shaped clip, a lighter and more convenient plate clip was introduced, and the device and accessories were improved. This modernization once again extended the career of the 7.62 mm rifle cartridge model 1908. And in 1931, a 7.62 mm sniper rifle entered service with the Red Army. From a linear rifle mod. 1891/1930 it was distinguished by the mounting of the optical sight, the quality of manufacture of the barrel and receiver, their fastening in the stock and debugging of the mechanisms.
Mounting a PU sight on a rifle model 1891/30 and a sighting reticle
The rotary, longitudinally sliding one consisted of a bolt stem, a combat cylinder, an ejector, a trigger, a firing pin, a screw mainspring and a connecting strip. The combat cylinder has two symmetrical combat protrusions that fit into the grooves of the receiver when locked. On a sniper rifle, the bolt handle was bent downwards so that when reloading it would not catch on the optical sight. A firing pin with a mainspring is mounted inside the bolt, and a trigger with a “button” is screwed onto the tail section of the bolt. The firing pin is cocked when the bolt is unlocked, which increases safety when reloading. The trigger mechanism is mounted on the receiver and is very simple in design. The sear, which holds the firing pin in the cocked position, is made at the free end of a leaf spring passed through the slot of the trigger, swinging on an axis. When you press the hook, he presses the trigger spring down, removing the sear from under the cocking hammer; the firing pin, under the action of the mainspring, moves forward and pierces the cartridge primer.
Sniper rifle mod. 1891/30 with PU sight. The position of the bolt handle in the locked state and the position of the sight eyepiece relative to the butt are clearly visible
The trigger could be pulled back and rotated 90°, thereby putting the rifle on safety. This operation was provided for all shooters, especially when running with a loaded weapon, although pulling the trigger required a lot of effort, and the system quickly wore out. A sniper rifle was aimed without a bayonet, and did not have one - hand-to-hand combat was considered an extreme case for a sniper (although he was supposed to be armed with a knife or dagger) - therefore, the front sight of sniper rifles was slightly higher than that of linear ones. Rifle mod. 1891/1930 had a rather tight descent. Although in sniper rifles the trigger was adjusted to a lower force (2–2.4 kgf), it was not as convenient as a trigger with a warning (self-adjustment of the trigger force is possible by bending the spring, smoothness of the trigger - by filing the sear, filing the upper edge of the trigger slot it was possible to give the descent the character of a descent with a warning). But the corresponding proposals for the “three-line” were made back in 1911 and several times later.
In the box-shaped permanent middle magazine, the cartridges are arranged in one row, which made it necessary to have a special spring cut-off reflector that prevents double feeding of cartridges. A solid stock with a straight butt neck was initially made of walnut, but over time it was necessary to switch to less scarce birch wood for sniper rifles. To improve shooting accuracy, the position of the barrel in the stock was adjusted using the receiver shank pin so that the gap between the barrel and the fore-end was maintained along the entire length of the barrel - the absence of contact between the barrel and the fore-end contributes to the constant vibrations of the barrel when firing, the influence of which is easier to compensate for when zeroing. For the same purpose, it was possible to select excess wood using a chisel or simply a sleeve with a sharpened edge. Although back in 1929 a variant with an improved stock was tested (a “cheek” butt and a neck with a pistol lug), production rifles had a stock of a conventional shape. True, rifles with a shortened “sports” stock were produced in small quantities - such a sniper rifle, for example, was presented to I.V. by Tula gunsmiths in 1934. Stalin.
Apparently, a deeper modernization of the basic rifle would have provided a better basis for a sniper, but it was abandoned in the USSR, since it was expected that an “automatic” rifle would soon be adopted.
Work on a rifle optical sight for its own production began in 1925 at the Podolsk Optical Plant (in 1927–1928 transferred to Pavshino, Moscow Region, later Krasnogorsk), and German specialists participated in the work. The development task changed several times. Finally, in 1930, the sight was adopted for service under the designation “optical rifle sight mod. 1930", he also received the PT index.
Sniper rifles mod. 1891/30, which entered service with the Red Army, were initially equipped with a sight mod. 1930 (PT) with 4x magnification, mechanisms for introducing horizontal and vertical corrections and a coupling for diopter adjustment of the eyepiece. However, the PT sight did not satisfy the specialists of the Artillery Directorate, and the All-Union Association of Optical-Mechanical Industry, created in 1930, received in 1931 the task of creating a sight based on it with more advanced mechanisms for introducing corrections (again, based on the German Bush sight). , The improved sight was adopted for service under the designation “rifle sight model 1931.” and received the PE code. Abbreviation “V.P. arr. 1931" gave rise to another designation found in the literature - “VP sight”. With the PE sight, the sniper rifle model 1891/1930 was actually adopted in the same 1931.
The PE sight had a magnification factor of 3.87x, a field of view of 5×30, an exit pupil diameter of 7.6 mm, an exit pupil relief of 85 mm, a weight of 620 g, and range settings of up to 1400 m. The disadvantages of the sight include a violation of the tightness of the focusing mechanism, insufficient fixing the drums of the mechanisms for introducing horizontal and vertical corrections.
The Dynamo society, which was under the jurisdiction of the OGPU/NKVD, actively developed shooting in those years. In collaboration with the German company Genschow, the company has developed options for installing a Zeiss sight with a 4x magnification on a rifle mod. 1891 - these installations are known under the designations D2 and DZ (“Dynamo”, the second and third samples, in the literature you can find the designation D III). The optical sight itself had an upper drum setting up to 1000 m, and a side drum was used to introduce lateral corrections. The sighting reticle was made according to the “German” type and consisted of a central stump and two horizontal lines.
Sniper version 7.62 mm self-loading carbine Tokarev (SKT), a modification of the SVT rifle that did not go into production. The SKT is also equipped with a PU sight
Until 1935, two main options for installing an optical sight were tested - on top of the receiver and on its left side. The first system was proposed by the famous shooting enthusiast A.A. Smirnsky (it was similar to the American Belding and Muhl system, but one can hardly speak of a direct borrowing of the American system), the second was based on a system presented by the German company Genschow und Co. According to the Smirnsky system, a base was attached to the receiver in front of its window with six screws, onto which the sight bracket was placed. The sight itself was mounted on such a single-base bracket with two clamps.
In 1936–1937, after the transfer of optical sight production from plant No. 69 (Krasnogorsk) to the Progress plant (in Leningrad), a new modification appeared. The PE sight lost its diopter coupling, and was installed on the rifle according to the “side” mounting scheme, which has become standard since 1936. A bracket of the type proposed by the German company Genschow (Geco) was used. However, the German-style brackets did not satisfy the Soviet military, and their own were created for the PE. To the left of the receiver window there was an overlay - the base. The sight bracket was placed on it using a dovetail mount and secured with two screws. The PE sight also served as the basis for the “civilian” optical sight PO-1, which was installed on small-caliber rifles and hunting rifles.
Red Army sniper pair: one of the snipers (currently acting as an observer sniper) is armed with an SVT rifle with a PU optical sight, the other (a fighter sniper) is armed with a rifle mod. 1891/30 with PE sight. 1941
Production of sniper rifle mod. 1891/ 1930 and brackets for sights were produced by the Tula Arms Plant since 1932 (from 1936 - plant No. 173, from 1939 - after the reorganization of the defense industry - plant No. 314).
TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SNIPER RIFLE REV. 1891/1930.
Cartridge – 7.62x54R (model 1908)
Weapon weight – 4.7 kg (with PE sight)
Weapon length – 1232 mm
Barrel length – 729 mm
Initial bullet speed – 865 m/s
Muzzle energy of the bullet – 3591.5 J
Magazine capacity – 5 rounds
The range of a direct shot at a chest target was 550 m, at a height target - 770 m. The length of the barrel was such that its oscillation unit when fired was located near the muzzle, which helped reduce the dispersion of hits. The permanent middle magazine was loaded with cartridges one at a time - the optical sight mount did not allow inserting a clip.
Last two pre-war years, as you know, were a time of large-scale, high-quality rearmament of the Red Army. This also affected the small arms system, including sniper weapons. Since the repeating rifle was to be replaced by a self-loading rifle as a mass-produced small arms weapon, a sniper version of the latter was also introduced. In 1939, Tula Plant No. 314 produced 35,376 sniper rifles mod. 1891/1930 under the PE sight, in 1940 - 7970 - production was transferred to a self-loading rifle.
As a matter of fact, work on such rifles began much earlier - with the development of extensive work on automatic and self-loading rifles chambered for a rifle cartridge in the second half of the 1920s. It was obvious that the new mass-produced rifle should also have a sniper version. Already in 1928, one of the experimental 7.62 mm automatic rifles by V.G. Fedorov (more precisely, the team of designers - Fedorov, Degtyarev, Kuznetsov, Bezrukov) - this rifle was tested at the shooting range of the Shot course.
The “7.62-mm self-loading rifle mod.” also received an option with the installation of an optical sight. 1930" systems V.A. Degtyareva, who passed military tests in 1933–1934 F.V. Tokarev installed the TsKBSV-63 optical sight mount on his experimental TsKBSV-55 automatic carbine. But in 1936 the S.G. automatic rifle was adopted for service. Simonova (ABC). It also had a sniper version (with a PE sight), produced in small quantities in 1936–1939. in Izhevsk by plant No. 180 (since 1939 - plant No. 74). Such rifles found use during the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939–1940. and in the initial period of the Great Patriotic War.
When the F.V. self-loading rifle was finally chosen to rearm the army before the war. Tokarev model 1940 (SVT-40), a sniper version was also created. The drawings and technical specifications for it were approved on April 8, 1940. Note that the Red Army was the first to adopt a self-loading sniper rifle as a mass-produced rifle. The sniper version differed from the standard SVT in better barrel finishing and protrusions on the sides of the receiver for attaching a curved bracket for the PU optical sight. Sniper SVT has become much more widespread than sniper ABC.
The SVT automatics had a gas engine with the removal of powder gases through a transverse hole in the barrel wall into a gas chamber located above the barrel and with a short piston stroke. The chamber was equipped with a gas regulator that changed the amount of exhaust gases; this made it possible to widely adapt the operation of the automation to the conditions of the time of year, the condition of the rifle and the type of cartridge, although working with the regulator was not very convenient. A gas piston with a rod and a separate pusher transmitted the impulse of the powder gases to the bolt and returned forward under the action of its own spring. The absence of a permanent connection between the gas piston rod and the bolt and the partially open receiver at the top made it possible to equip the magazine from a clip.
A multi-slit reactive muzzle brake was attached to the muzzle of the barrel. The barrel bore was locked by tilting the bolt downwards. A firing pin and a spring-loaded ejector are mounted in the bolt frame; a return spring with a guide rod and tube is inserted into the stem channel. The hammer-type trigger mechanism is assembled on a detachable base (trigger guard). Descent comes with a warning. The self-timer served as an automatic safety device that blocked the trigger until the barrel bore was completely locked by the bolt. The guide rod of the mainspring served as a disconnector - when the hammer was turned forward, the rod, pressing the trigger rod, lowered the rod, its protrusion jumped off the ledge of the rocker arm, and then, under the action of the mainspring, it returned with the upper end forward and was ready to capture the cocking of the hammer when the moving system rolled back.
The magazine is detachable, box-shaped, sector-shaped with a staggered arrangement of 10 rounds. A cartridge with a protruding rim of the cartridge case forced a number of measures to be taken to prevent the cartridges from clinging to each other when feeding - the radius of curvature of the magazine box was selected, the surface of the feeder was profiled so that the rim of each upper cartridge is in front of the rim of the lower one, protrusions were made on the inner walls of the magazine body to hold the cartridges from axial displacement. The stock is wooden, solid, with a pistol neck protrusion; in front of the fore-end, the barrel and gas piston are covered with a perforated metal casing. There was also a wooden barrel guard. To reduce the thermal effects of the barrel and heating of wooden parts, to reduce weight, through holes are made in the metal casing and in the receiver lining.
For the sniper SVT, the “optical rifle sight model 1940” was adopted, created at the NKVD plant No. 3 in Kharkov. Despite its “origin,” the sight was intended not only for the NKVD troops, but also for the People’s Commissariat of Defense. Its production was also carried out by the Progress plant (plant No. 357 of the People's Commissariat of Armaments), where its refinement continued.
The sight received the PU index, had a 3.5-fold magnification, a field of view of 4’30, a weight of 270 g, and allowed shooting at a range from 100 to 1300 m with the most effective range of up to 600 m. The sighting reticle was similar to the PE. The upper drum with a distance scale and the side drum with a lateral correction scale were fastened with semi-countersunk screws - by unfastening these screws, the sniper could correct the position of the drum when shooting. To install an optical sight, there were grooves on the sides of the receiver. The PU optical sight was mounted in such a way that it would not be hit by a spent cartridge case flying out of the receiver window. The curved bracket was fixed with a pin and equipped with a spring-loaded buffer that prevented longitudinal displacement of the sight.
In terms of shooting accuracy, the self-loading sniper SVT was inferior to a repeating rifle. But since during testing the SVT was compared with other “automatic” rifles, attention was not immediately paid to the deterioration in accuracy compared to a magazine rifle. Their comparative tests were carried out only in preparation for mass production. The accuracy of fire of a self-loading rifle at ranges from 800 to 1200 m turned out to be 1.6 times worse, the separation of the first bullet from the dispersion ellipse at a distance of 100 m reached 10–15 cm, and the direct shot range was 20 m less. The reason for this was the imbalance due to the movement and impacts of the movable automation system before the bullet left the barrel, vibrations caused by this movement, and the revealed longitudinal displacement of the barrel and receiver in the stock.
Nevertheless, the sniper SVT was launched into production at Tula Plant No. 314, hoping to improve its parameters during the production process. This could not be done for short term. In addition, by the beginning of the war, the troops were poorly familiar with the new model.
TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SVT SNIPER RIFLE
Cartridge – 7.62x54R (model 1908)
Weapon weight – 4.5 kg (with PU sight)
Weapon length – 1226 mm
Barrel length – 625 mm
Number of rifling – 4 right-handed
Initial bullet speed – 840 m/s
Combat rate of fire – 10 rds/min
The repeating sniper rifle was discontinued from production. “The plan for current orders of NKOs, NKVMF and NKVD” already for 1940 provided for the production of only 3000 rifles mod. 1891/1930 and only for the People's Commissariat of the Navy.
The scale of production of sniper rifles (and, accordingly, the need for them) at the beginning of the war can be judged by the following figures - in July and August 1941, approximately 7 thousand sniper rifles were produced at the Tula plant.
In 1941, of the planned 1,176,000 linear and 37,500 sniper SVT-40s, 1,031,861 and 34,782 were manufactured, respectively (according to other sources - more than 38,000). In October 1941, the production of SVT was interrupted due to the evacuation of plant No. 314 - from Tula, the production of SVT was evacuated to the Urals, in the city of Mednogorsk, where production was resumed in March 1942. In the SVT troops, according to soldier tradition, it received the unofficial nickname “ Sveta,” they began to attribute capriciousness to her female character. The rifle really required much more careful care and better preparation than the three-line magazine rifle. The complexity of the system and the presence of small parts also led to a high percentage of failure due to loss of parts (31%, while for the repeating rifle model 1891/30 it was, of course, much lower - only 0.6% ). In addition, its production was much more difficult, which affected the fate of the rifle. However, in the hands of qualified users, including snipers, SVTs worked quite reliably.
At the beginning of 1942, at Izhevsk Plant No. 74 (Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant), and from 1943 at Tula Plant No. 536 (on the site of the evacuated Plant No. 314), production of the magazine sniper rifle mod. 1891/30 The repeating rifle was modernized at the beginning of the war, but not to improve shooting accuracy, but to simplify production. The receiver was made without top edges, the trigger button was reduced, the brass parts of the device were replaced with steel, the finishing of the steel parts was simplified, the stock was not polished or varnished. The combat qualities of the rifle, including shooting accuracy, were also affected by the transition to making stocks from birch blanks, which were more fragile than the previous walnut ones, and gave a leash when exposed to moisture, and the variation in the characteristics of wartime cartridges.
There were also single-shot rifles mod. 1891/30 with a covered magazine box - obviously, to speed up production and with the expectation that the sniper often loads the cartridge manually, keeping spare cartridges in the inner pocket (so as not to cool the powder charge).
Although there remained stocks of PE sights, which were initially used on the newly released sniper rifles model 1891/30, the more compact and durable PU sight became the main one. The production of this sight was carried out by factories No. 357 (evacuated from Leningrad to Omsk), No. 296 (former plant No. 3 of the NKVD, evacuated from Kharkov to Berdsk at the beginning of the war), No. 237 (in Kazan), No. 297 (in Yoshkar-Ola), No. 393 (in Krasnogorsk). Factories made their own changes and improvements to the design and materials of the sight. Despite some deterioration in the optics (during the war, we had to switch to new clay for melting optical glass), the sights retained good quality and fully justified themselves. The decision to install a launcher on a rifle mod. 1891/30 was adopted in the spring of 1942. For this purpose, in Izhevsk, the famous gunsmith designer D.M. Kochetov developed a new bracket, which was attached with its front protrusion to the same base on the left side of the receiver and was fixed with pins and two screws; there were additional screws to prevent self-unscrewing. This mount allowed the use of an open sector sight at a distance of up to 600 m. The sight tube was fixed on the bracket with two couplings. Since the PU tube was noticeably shorter than that of the PE, the eyepiece was very far from the shooter’s eye, so many shooters had to crane their necks when shooting.
In August 1942, comparative tests of SVT sniper rifles with PU and mod. 1891/30 with PE and PU sights. Based on the test results, continued production of the SVT sniper was considered inappropriate, and it was discontinued on October 1, 1942 (production of linear rifles continued). Sniper rifles accounted for only about 3.5% of the total number of SVTs issued. Kochetov bracket for installing PU on a rifle mod. 1891/30 was adopted for service as a “bracket mod. 1942."
When shooting from a rifle model 1891/30. at a distance of 100 m with a PU sight, all hits had to fit into a circle with a diameter of 7 cm, 200 m - 15 cm, 400 m - 36 cm.
In 1943, Izhevsk Plant No. 74 produced 159,600 repeating sniper rifles with PU sights, Tula Plant No. 536 - 59,112, in 1943 - 127,020 and 24,362, respectively (according to B.V. Davydov and S.A. Savenko). By 1943, this amounted to 5.7% of the total production of rifles and carbines, by 1944 – 7.3%. Evidence of the great attention paid to sniping in the Armed Forces.
The PU sight was later used on anti-aircraft machine gun mounts; they tried to install it on 14.5 mm anti-tank rifles, especially since many snipers, along with a standard sniper rifle, mastered anti-aircraft guns for shooting at long ranges or at protected targets. After the war, PUs with corresponding brackets were installed on small-caliber hunting rifles.
Production of the PE sight was also resumed during the war, but only in besieged Leningrad at plant No. 349.
Partisans operating behind enemy lines, groups and detachments special purpose The NKVD and the GRU often used a rifle with a silent and flameless firing device of the “Bramit” type (systems of the brothers V.G. and I.G. Mitin). The device included a cylindrical expansion chamber, blocked at the front and back with rubber plugs and was designed for only a few shots.
During the war, attempts to modernize the rifle continued: in 1943, a version with a shortened fore-end and a raised butt was tested, and in 1944, a shortened version was tested. After the war, a slightly modernized version was produced. The “Three Line” also served as the basis for the 7.62 mm AB and AVL sports rifles, which were used not only by athletes, but also for training snipers.
Sniper rifle mod. 1891/30 was in service with a number of armies of the Warsaw Pact countries, Albania, China, North Korea, Vietnam and other countries. It turned out to be perhaps the most “long-fighting” among its contemporaries - for a decade and a half it has been used in local conflicts in the territory former USSR(sometimes snipers prefer well-preserved or restored self-loading SVDs).
Germany
At the beginning of World War II, the German Wehrmacht did not have a satisfactory standard sniper rifle. True, back in the late 20s, the Germans planned to have an optical sight for “every fifth or eighth shooter,” but this was rather a desire to highlight the best shooters and aroused interest not so much in sniper rifles as in selected carbines with optical sights.
Mauser-Werke produced a sniper version of the 7.92 mm repeating carbine (“short rifle”) 98k; the 98k carbine, which appeared in 1935, became the main small arms of the Wehrmacht. The best carbines from the production batch were equipped with lugs on top of the receiver with grooves for attaching an optical sight bracket. Commercial scopes with 4x and 6x magnification were used. The effective firing range was 400–600 m, the maximum sighting range was 800 m.
In 1939, the Zf.Kar.98k sniper model with the ZF.39 sight (“sighting tube 1939”) of fourfold magnification was adopted for service. The sight was mounted on two posts above the receiver window. Such sniper rifles found use already in 1939 in Poland. A number of complaints about the ZF.39 sight received from parts forced us to give preference to the 1.5x ZF.40 and ZF.41, which was more consistent with the capabilities of the carbine. The 1.5x sight weighed only 450 g with bracket. The sighting range was set from 100 to 800 m using a rotating coupling. The sight bracket was fixed on the rifle lever device with a latch, two spring-loaded rollers of the bracket eliminated its swinging. To install the bracket on the block of the standard sector sight on the left, a T-section was made. At least some of these carbines had a “cheek” on the butt.
Sniper pair of SS troops. Both snipers are armed with a 7.92 mm Zf.Kar.98k repeating rifle (carbine) with a ZF.39 optical sight
Attaching the bracket to the sighting block freed up the receiver window and made it possible to use a standard sight (this type of mounting of an optical sight on a shortened rifle is reminiscent of the later American idea of a Scout-type rifle). But at the same time, the distance of the eyepiece from the shooter’s eye turned out to be too far and the field of view of the sight narrowed. Such sniper carbines played a supporting role.
From 1942, up to 6% of all Kar.98ks had to be made with bosses for attaching the optical sight mount. However, it was not always possible to maintain this ratio.
Overall, the Mausers were convenient and effective weapons. It’s worth paying special attention to his system, since it still serves as a model for the creation of repeating rifles, including sniper rifles. Its characteristic features were: shutter design; a magazine that does not protrude from the stock with a staggered arrangement of cartridges and a stepped feeder; comfortable stock with a pistol grip on the butt neck. The Mauser's rotating longitudinally sliding bolt had two lugs on the cylinder and one near the handle - the latter prevented the bolt from moving and self-unlocking. When the barrel bore was locked, the combat lugs entered the annular groove of the receiver and were located in a vertical plane - this distribution of the recoil effect on the box reduces the sideways movement of the weapon.
7.92 mm repeating sniper rifle (carbine) 98k with ZF.40 optical sight. The sight mount is visible
Combat and safety cockings were carried out on a trigger mounted on the tail of the firing pin. When the bolt was turned to unlock, the firing pin mounted in it was cocked due to the interaction of the inclined surfaces of the bolt stem and the hammer, compressing the screw mainspring, so that during the entire reloading process the firing pin did not protrude above the bolt mirror. At the rear of the bolt there was a safety lever in three positions: right - blocked by the hammer, vertical - blocked by the trigger (used only during disassembly) and left - “fire”. A wide spring ejector pressed the cartridge against the bolt mirror, but did not rotate with the bolt, being held in the longitudinal groove of the receiver. This ensured reliable direction of the cartridge during chambering and removal. For the passage of a rigid reflector, there is a cutout in the left lug of the bolt.
The 98k bolt handle is bent down at an angle of 90°. In addition to reducing the transverse dimensions of the weapon and bringing the handle closer to the shooting hand - in the locked position, the handle is in the recess of the stock directly above the trigger guard, which speeds up reloading - this also prevented snagging when reloading with the handle of the optical sight. When the optical sight was located above the receiver window, it had to be placed on high brackets so as not to interfere with the extraction of the cartridge case and work with the fuse box.
Training 5.6-mm KKW carbine, made like the combat Mauser 98k, but chambered for .22 LR, and equipped with a ZF.41 optical sight
Descent comes with a warning. When the trigger was pressed, its rear protrusion reached a stop, the sear dropped slightly, and the arrow had to make a short movement to release the striker, which did not interfere with aiming much.
All this made the Mauser a good basis for creating a sniper rifle. However, optical sights were often simply placed on rifles and carbines, which did not allow for the accuracy required for sniper weapons.
TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE 98k CARBINE
Cartridge – 7.92×57
Weapon weight without sight – 4.3 kg
Weapon length – 1110 mm
Barrel length – 600 mm
Number of rifling – 4 right-handed
Initial bullet speed – 745 m/s
Muzzle energy of the bullet – 3698 J
Magazine capacity – 5 rounds.
Mountain ranger carbines “33/40 (t)” of the Mauser system (Czech production) were also converted into sniper ones - a bracket was attached to the left side of the receiver, on which a 4x20 type sight was mounted. For training snipers, a 5.6-mm KWK carbine was used, repeating the 98k design, with a 2x optical sight. Expansion type silencers were produced for sniper rifles.
The Germans also failed in their attempt to create a self-loading sniper rifle. The basis for this was initially the 7.92-mm self-loading rifle G.41 (W) with an original gas engine design - ZF sights were installed on this rifle. 40 and 41. Having failed to develop the G.41 (W) “Walter” and G.41 (M) “Mauser”, in the middle of the war the Germans adopted the G.43 chambered for the same 7.92×57 “Mauser” cartridge – an independent system, but bearing certain traces of the influence of the Soviet SVT (layout of the gas outlet unit, short piston stroke, detachable magazine).
The G.43 had an automatic gas engine with removal of powder gases through a side hole in the barrel wall and a short piston stroke. The barrel bore was locked by two lugs moved to the sides. The reloading handle was located on the left. The impact mechanism is trigger. There was a non-automatic fuse. The cartridges are fed from a detachable box magazine. The G.43 was mainly used as a sniper with a ZF.4 sight, mounted on a special lug on the right side of the receiver. The ZF.4 sight (also referred to as KaKZF.43) had a 4x magnification. Created with the expectation of installation on a self-loading rifle, it was also installed on magazine rifles - here you can also see an analogy with the SVT sniper.
A sniper version of the Kag.43 carbine was also produced, which differed from the G.43 in its length reduced by 50 mm and with an enlarged trigger guard. G.43 and its Kag.43 did not become widespread in the German army - in 1943–1945. released about 349,300 linear G.43 and Kag.43 and 53,435 sniper (13% of the total - it is worth noting that the Germans attached great importance to self-loading rifles with optical sights).
7.92 mm self-loading sniper rifle G.43 with ZF.4 optical sight
It is no coincidence that captured sniper SVTs, designated SI GewZf260(r), were popular among German soldiers. A “Russian self-loading rifle with an optical sight” was listed, for example, as one of the “best weapons” for anti-partisan “yagdkommandos”. Magazine sniper rifles mod. 1891/30 As for the G.43 and Kag.43, after the war they were used for some time by the Czechoslovak army.
TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SNIPER G.43
Cartridge – 7.62×57
Weapon weight without sight, kg – 4.33 kg
Weapon length – 1117 mm
Barrel length – 558 mm
Number of rifling – 4 right-handed
Initial bullet speed – 746 m/s
Combat rate of fire – 15–20 rounds/min.
The automatic 7.92-mm rifle FG.42, created for parachute units, even with an optical sight, was more reminiscent of a light machine gun than a sniper weapon. The FG.42 had automatic operation with a gas engine, the barrel bore was locked by turning the bolt, it could conduct single and automatic fire, and was equipped with a folding bipod. A 20-round magazine was attached to the left.
7.92 mm FG.42 automatic rifle, equipped with a ZFG.42 optical sight
The option with the installation of the ZF.4 optical sight also had a 7.92-mm assault rifle (assault rifle, “assault carbine”) MP.43/1 of the X. Schmeisser system chambered for the 7.92×33 Kurz cartridge. With a mass of about 6 kg, the MP.43/1 gave good accuracy of fire at short ranges and was quite suitable as an “ersatz” sniper carbine. The ZG.1229 “Vampire” illuminated night sight was also installed on it. However, its use was severely limited by the weight of both the sight itself with an IR illuminator, and the backpack with batteries and a gas cylinder for cooling the OOP.
Thus, the German army simultaneously had several sniper and “ersatz sniper” rifles and carbines, and sometimes different types of troops had their own.
Finland
In the Finnish army, snipers were armed with 7.62 mm rifles M/28-30 and M/39 - repeating rifles of the Russian system produced in Finland - with an optical sight mounted on top of the receiver. In general, before 1939 there were few sniper rifles in the Finnish army. Nevertheless, our troops were able to evaluate the effectiveness of the work of Finnish snipers, armed with hastily converted rifles, in northern, sharply rugged, wooded terrain in the winter of 1939/1940. During this war, by the way, a surprisingly persistent rumor arose about Finnish “cuckoos” - snipers and machine gunners who allegedly occupied camouflaged positions in the trees. Although the Finns themselves deny the existence of such “cuckoos”. During the war of 1939–1940 and at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War (for the Finns this is the “Long War”) Finnish army replenished its “sniper arsenal” with captured Soviet rifles. Sometimes the Finns adapted Soviet optical sights to their rifles, sometimes they were forced to modernize trophies - for example, adapting a PU sight to a PE bracket.
7.62 mm M39 repeating sniper rifle with M43 "Ayak" optical sight
In 1942, the Finns ordered about 2,500 Ajak sights with a 4x magnification from Germany, but they were able to receive only part of the order. The Väisälä Society has developed its own version of the sight, compatible with German brackets. The sight managed to receive the designation M/44, but Finland left the war before its mass production began.
Italy
The few Italian snipers used mainly the old 6.5 mm Model 1891 Mannlicher-Carcano rifles, equipped with an optical sight. Despite the clearly outdated cartridge with a mortar-point bullet, it had a highly flat trajectory and good accuracy thanks to its small caliber, heavy bullet and progressive barrel rifling.
The rifle was developed in 1890–1891. under the leadership of Colonel Carcano and General Paravicino, based on the bolt of the “Belgian Mauser” of 1889 and Mannlicher’s stacked middle magazine. Carcano introduced an original fuse in the form of a bushing with a flag attached to the firing pin - by pulling the flag back and turning to the left, it was possible to block the firing pin in the cocked position, the protrusion of the fuse went into the transverse groove of the stem, and its tube did not allow the trigger to move forward, and the flag blocked the aiming line . It was possible to turn off the safety without lifting the butt from the shoulder, and the mainspring was additionally pressed. Descent comes with a warning. Solid stock (walnut or beech) - with a straight butt neck. By the beginning of World War II, the rifle was already outdated, but for sniper work it was the most suitable of what the Italian army had - the rest were mainly 7.35- and 6.5-mm carbines and shortened rifles of the same system with worse ballistics. By the way, in the case of the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, the 6.5-mm Mannlicher-Carcano rifle featured a shortened Model 91/38, i.e., much worse accuracy and accuracy, and even with an ineffective Japanese sight - this one of the main reasons for doubts about the official version of the murder.
Japan
In Japan, the issues of combat use of snipers were dealt with in the Field Manual of 1928, but the 6.5 mm sniper rifle with an optical sight was officially adopted only in 1937. It was a 6.5 mm Type 97 rifle (Type 2597, i.e., model 1937) of the Arisaka system, which was distinguished by a simple and rational design of the shutter, the presence of a special shutter cover to prevent clogging. The barrel bore was locked by a bolt stem with two lugs in the front part.
6.5 mm Type 97 repeating sniper rifle. The bolt of the rifle is moved to the rear position, its handle is visible behind the optical sight
In the locked position, the bolt lugs were located in a vertical plane. The impact mechanism is of the striker type; the firing pin was cocked when the bolt was locked. Working with the shutter was simplified by its elongated handle. The fuse was the bolt coupling. The rifle was put on safety with the striker cocked. To do this, it was necessary to press the notched head of the coupling with the palm of your hand and turn it clockwise 1/8 of a turn - in this case, the protrusions of the coupling would simultaneously block the firing pin and the bolt. To switch to the “fire” position, the clutch head had to be turned to the left. The trigger mechanism ensured descent with warning.
The Type 97 rifle was created by the Kokura arsenal and differed from the “classic” Type 38 primarily in the mounting of an optical sight on the dovetail on the left side of the receiver, so as not to interfere with loading a magazine from a clip and using an open frame sight. The sight had a magnification of 2.5x and a field of view of 10°, an aiming reticle in the form of a crosshair, a rubber eyecup, was not equipped with an adjustment mechanism, and was worn on the march in a special bag over the shoulder; its mount was individually adjusted to a specific rifle. The shutter handle was slightly bent down. Shooting with an optical sight was carried out at ranges of up to 800 m. The rifle was equipped with a wire bipod, hingedly attached to the lower stock ring and pressed against the fore-end in the folded position. The small muzzle flash of the 6.5 mm rifle contributed to the secrecy of the actions of shooters and snipers. The complexity of manufacturing and the high cost of such weapons limited production to 19,500 pieces - not much for a mass army.
Snipers Japanese army They were also armed with a sniper version of the Type 99 rifle, which was part of the 7.7-mm “branch” of Arisaka rifles. The main reason for the transition to a larger caliber can be considered the need to increase the power of machine-gun fire and expand the range of special bullets (incendiary, armor-piercing incendiary), which were then easier to carry out in a larger caliber than 6.5 mm. The Type 99 rifle differed from the Type 38, in addition to the caliber, by a slightly modified bolt of shorter length and weight, but its most characteristic features were a sight with a diopter rear sight and a lightweight folding wire bipod attached to the lower stock ring. In 1942 for complete standardization infantry weapons They adopted the 7.7 mm Type 99 sniper rifle. The sight was also mounted on the left side, and the bolt handle was bent downwards. At first, the Kokura arsenal installed the same 2.5-fold optical sight Type 97 on it, then the arsenal in Nagoya began installing Type 2 sights that met sniper requirements with a magnification factor of 4x and a field of view of 7° (the Japanese appreciated the value of sights with higher magnification during the battles on Khalkhin Gol river in the summer of 1939, when Soviet snipers fired at ranges of 700–800 m, and the Japanese no further than 300 m). By the end of the war, improved Type 4 4x sights with an adjustment mechanism appeared. In total, as indicated in the literature, no more than 10 thousand of these rifles were produced.
TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TYPE 97 SNIPER RIFLE
Cartridge – 6.5x50SR (Type 38)
Weight of weapon without cartridges and bayonet – 4.0 kg
Weapon length without bayonet – 1275 mm
Barrel length – 810 mm
Number of rifling – 4 or 6 right-handed
Initial bullet speed – 730 m/s
Magazine capacity – 5 rounds
TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TYPE 99 SNIPER RIFLE
Cartridge – 7.7×58 (Type 99)
Weight of weapon without sight, cartridges and bayonet – 3.96 kg
Weapon length – 1270 mm
Barrel length – 800 mm
Initial bullet speed – 725 m/s
Magazine capacity – 5 rounds
UK and Commonwealth countries
The British, who were among the pioneers of sniping, did not neglect it in World War II. In this case, the Enfield rifles No. 3 MkI (T), SMLE (Lee-Enfield) No. 4 (T) and No. 4 (T) A were used - the T index meant “telescopic”, i.e. the presence of an optical sight. They were carried out under the .303 British Service cartridge.
Among the features of the British SMLE rifle (Lee-Enfield) were the presence of 5 rifling in the barrel instead of the usual 4, the bolt design and magazine capacity. The lugs are located not on the bolt cylinder, but in the middle part of its stem. The lugs fit into the grooves of the receiver, which had an inclined surface, so that when the bolt began to rotate, it also began to move backward and preliminarily remove the spent cartridge case, and when chambering the cartridge, it began to rotate even before reaching the extreme forward position.
7.71 mm repeating sniper rifle SMLE No. 4(T) with scope No. 32
Having moved the bolt to the forward position, the shooter turned the handle down, while the bolt moved forward a little more, supported the bottom of the cartridge case and locked with its lugs in the receiver. The combat larva is non-rotating. A spring-loaded ejector is mounted on the cylinder. The downward curved bolt handle was integral with its stem and was located behind the receiver and trigger guard. The firing pin was cocked when the bolt was locked. A hammer was attached to the protruding tail of the firing pin, allowing the firing pin to be cocked when the bolt was locked. The trigger carried the combat platoon. A non-automatic flag safety was mounted on the left side of the receiver, the front position of the flag corresponded to the “fire” state, the rear position corresponded to the “fuse” (the trigger was blocked). The trigger mechanism ensured descent with warning. A permanent box magazine for 10 rounds was loaded from a clip. The stock is a wooden compound with a long fore-end and a barrel lining, up to the muzzle of the barrel, and a straight butt. Behind the neck of the butt there was a lug-rest for the shooter's hand.
Introduced on February 12, 1942, rifle No. 4(T) was based on the SMLE No. 4 linear rifle. About 25 thousand No. 4 Mkl linear rifles with the best accuracy indicators were selected, and the famous London company “Holland-Holland” was involved in converting them into sniper rifles. . The resulting rifles were distinguished by the fit of the barrel to the stock, a sector sight, a “cheek” on the butt, and were equipped with sight No. 32 with a magnification factor of 3x and a field of view of 9°. Both the optical sight and its mount were previously created for the Bran light machine gun, so the sight was shifted to the left (the machine gun had a magazine mounted on top), but this only facilitated loading the magazine from the clip. “Lee-Enfield” No. 4(T) was also used by the armies of the British Commonwealth countries - in Canada, for example, it was equipped with a C67 3.5x sight. It was in service with the British army until the end of the 1950s and served as the basis for the creation of subsequent models. Select rifles, as stated in the literature, at a distance of 800 m gave a dispersion diameter of about 23 cm, i.e., the accuracy was within one minute of arc.
New Zealand sniper with 7.71 mm SMLE No. 4(T) repeating rifle, 1944.
Rifle No. 4 (T) was distinguished from the linear rifle by the manufacture of the barrel and its fit to the stock.
SMLE No. 4(T) was equipped with sight No. 32 (type 3x40) of the same magnification, but with a field of view of 9°, as well as with a “cheek” on the butt.
TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS "LEE-ENFIELD" No. 4(T)
Cartridge – 7.7×56 (.303 “British service”)
Weapon weight without sight – 4.11 kg
Weapon length – 1128 mm
Barrel length – 640 mm
Number of rifling – 2 or 5 right-handed
Initial bullet speed – 740 m/s
Muzzle energy of the bullet – 3086 J
Magazine capacity – 10 rounds
The 7.71mm Enfield No. 3 Mkl rifle was a different system. Being a British development, it was in 1915–1917. was produced under British contracts in the USA by Remington and Winchester, and became known as “Patent No. 14” (P14). With the outbreak of World War II, they were issued from warehouses - mainly to local self-defense units.
The rotating longitudinally sliding bolt of the rifle is made according to the Mauser type (which is why the rifle is often called the “Enfield-Mauser”), with two lugs on the combat cylinder, made integral with the stem. The bolt handle is also integral with the stem and bent down and back so that in the locked position it is located above the trigger guard. The trigger mechanism is mounted on the receiver and provides a warning release. The non-automatic safety lever was located on the right side of the receiver behind the bolt handle; the front position of the flag is “fire”, the rear position is “safety” (the shutter was blocked when the firing pin was cocked or released). A box-shaped double-row permanent magazine with a capacity of 5 rounds is completely hidden in the stock. On No. 3 MkI (T), adopted in the same February 1942, an optical sight with a magnification of 3x and a field of view of 7.5° was attached. Sniper version No. 3 Mkl (T) has gained popularity due to its good accuracy of fire. Enfield rifles chambered for the .30-06 Springfield cartridge were also adopted by the US Army under the designation M1917. During World War II, the M1917 Enfield with a telescopic sight was used for sniper training. The optical sight was mounted on a groove in front of the receiver window and on the mechanical sight block.
Canadian 7.71 mm repeating sniper rifle "Ross" Mklll with a prismatic optical sight. The rifle bolt is moved to the rear position
Allied sniper rifles - British 7.71 mm magazine SMLE No. 4 (T) and American 7.62 mm self-loading M1D Garand. The sight mount is visible
Canadian snipers, in addition to the common SMLE for the British Commonwealth, also used the Ross Mkl 11 repeating rifle (chambered 303 British Service) from the First World War with an American Warner & Swazy 5.2x scope, similar to the M1913 scope. The rifle was distinguished by Ross's original bolt system - three lugs looked like sectors of a helical surface, and when reloading the handle moved only in a straight line (a "direct movement" bolt). This slightly increased the reloading speed, although the “direct movement” of the handle increased the length of its stroke. The shape of the 5-round magazine was reminiscent of the Mannlicher rifle, but the equipment was made from a Lee-Enfield type clip. The fuse blocking the firing pin in the rear position was located at the rear end of the bolt. Descent comes with a warning. The solid wooden stock had a pistol neck protrusion. The optical sight was attached to the spruce side of the receiver so as not to interfere with the magazine's equipment and to maintain the ability to use the diopter sight. The sniper rifle was also distinguished by a barrel extended to 775 mm. The Ross Mkll rifle was distinguished by good accuracy, comparable to a sports rifle, and ease of handling. Due to their high sensitivity to dirt and dust, linear rifles were removed from army units, but sniper rifles continued to be used for quite a long time.
USA
During the interwar period, the US Army conducted a number of experiments with sniper rifles - 12 optical sight mounting systems alone were tested from 1918 to 1935. However, by the beginning of World War II, the United States still did not have a standard sniper rifle. Weapons for snipers had to be created during the war, “remaking” the 7.62-mm rifles adopted for service under the very powerful 30-06 Springfield cartridge - the self-loading M1 Garand and the magazine-fed M1903 Springfield.
The M1 Garand was automatic with a gas engine and worked by venting powder gases through a side hole in the barrel wall into a gas chamber located at the bottom of the barrel. The barrel bore was locked by turning the bolt with two symmetrically located lugs in the front part. The bolt frame was made integral with the rod and gas piston. The trigger mechanism was assembled on the trigger guard. The impact mechanism is trigger. The trigger mechanism allowed only single fire. A non-automatic safety box was placed in front of the trigger guard, blocking the hammer and trigger. The rifle had a non-protruding permanent burst-loading magazine. The magazine box was combined with the receiver. The magazine was loaded with cartridges using a pack of 8 rounds. A characteristic feature was the use of a return spring located in the bolt frame rod as a magazine feed spring. After the cartridges in the magazine were used up, the bolt stop (shutter stop) held the bolt frame in the rear position. The M1 rifle had an open diopter sight.
TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS M1
Cartridge – 7.62×63 (.30–09 US)
Weapon length – 1104 mm
Barrel length – 566 mm
Number of rifling – 4 right-handed
Initial bullet speed – 810 m/s
Muzzle energy of the bullet – 3658 J
Magazine capacity – 8 rounds
Sniper variants were equipped with a better-made barrel and a 2.2x optical sight based on a commercial one. Of the 5.5 million Garand rifles produced, about 37,000 were sniper rifles. The installation of the optical sight was tested on an experimental M1E2 rifle. Then, based on the experimental M1E6, they created the M1E7 sniper with the M73 (Lyman Alaskan) or M73B1 (Weaver 330) sight. The sight was shifted to the left so as not to interfere with the ejection of spent cartridges and loading the magazine with a pack. The scope mount base, designed by Griffin & Howe, was bolted to the left side of the receiver. The next M1E8 sniper rifle was equipped with an M81 or M82 sight, the first had a regular reticle in the form of a crosshair of two threads, the second had a triangular aiming mark, as well as an integral bracket. In June 1944, M1E7 was renamed M1C, and M1E8 was renamed M1D. In 1945, a conical flash suppressor began to be attached to the M1C and D barrels, and a leather “cheek” was put on the butt. The bayonet mount was retained. M1D with M84 sight was also used during Korean War. The M1E, which “didn’t make it to the fronts of World War II,” was distinguished by its sight mount, which allowed for its quick installation without mandatory zeroing.
7.62 mm M3 automatic carbine with Sniper night sight and flash hider
Already in 1951, the M1C was modernized by installing the M84 4x30 type sight with easier adjustment and protective cylinder covers. A modification of the MC1952 with the 4XD MC-1 sight was released for the Marine Corps.
They also tried to convert the 7.62-mm M1 and M2 carbines into a “sniper” one chambered for the intermediate type .30 “carbine” cartridge. The M1E7 carbine with an optical sight was not successful. Based on the M2, we made an M3 carbine with a mount for the Sniperscope illuminated night sight in place of the standard open one. To reduce the illumination of the sight by the flash of a shot, the carbine was equipped with a flash suppressor. Only 2100 pieces were produced. On about. Okinawa in early 1945, riflemen using night sights allegedly killed up to 30% of the Japanese killed in all firefights.
7.62-mm M1903A4 "Springfield" repeating sniper rifle with a "Weaver" optical sight
The M1903A4 "Springfield" sniper rifle was a variant of the M1903A3 linear magazine rifle, devoid of a cannon and mechanical sight - the rifle had only an optical sight. The rifle had a rotary sliding bolt with two lugs in the front and a non-automatic safety, reminiscent of the Mauser bolt, which did not protrude and lay out a permanent double-row magazine (the Springfield rifle was also called the Springfield-Mauser). A striker-type impact mechanism was mounted in the bolt, and cocking was carried out on the trigger. The trigger mechanism ensured descent with warning. The bolt stop of the rifle also controlled the feed mechanism: when the flag was raised, the supply of cartridges from the magazine was turned off, when it was lowered, it was turned off, and when the flag was in a horizontal position, it was possible to remove the bolt from the receiver.
As a rule, a “commercial” Weaver 23 °C optical sight with 2.2x magnification or a Lyman, mounted on the receiver using a “bridge” bracket, was installed on the rifle. There were 6 or 4 grooves in the barrel bore. Like the M1903A3, the M1903A4 modification had a number of stamped parts in its design. The M1903A4 sniper was produced until 1944.
TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS M1903A4 "SPRINGFIELD"
Cartridge – 7.62×63 (.30–06 US)
Weight of weapon without sight – 4.0 kg
Weapon length – 1100 mm
Barrel length – 640 mm
Number of rifling – 4 left-handed
Initial bullet speed – 820 m/s
Muzzle energy of the bullet – 3749 J
Effective range – 545 m
Magazine capacity – 5 rounds
5.6 mm Winchester Model 74 self-loading carbine with optical sight, removable silencer, 14-round magazine
Snipers Marine Corps used the M1903 Springfield with a rather bulky Unertle sight with 8x magnification. Already in 1947, a removable expansion-type muffler with rubber washers was adopted for use with the M1903A4; The muffler was put on the muzzle of the barrel and fixed like a bayonet.
A target modification of the M1903A1 “National Match” rifle chambered for .270 Winchester cartridge with a “Unertl” sight was also used for sniper purposes.
As an example of a special-purpose “sniper” rifle, we can cite the silent modifications of the Model 74 Winchester self-loading carbine. This sporting weapon, in its original role, chambered for a 5.6 mm 22 LR cartridge with a magazine capacity of 14 rounds, attracted the attention of the special services for conversion into a “silent” one. . During the Second World War it was based on it for the British Office special operations"sniper" was manufactured silent rifle"with a removable expansion type silencer (“Maxim type”) and installation of an optical sight. The sighting range of such a rifle was limited to 100 yards (91.4 m), and the rifle was quite bulky - length 1321 mm with a silencer, 1118 mm without a silencer.
A quarter of a century later, a rifle with an integrated silencer and the same sighting range was made for the CIA on the same basis. The length of the rifle with the new barrel-silencer unit was reduced to 1029 mm, the weight was 3.2 kg. True, here we limited ourselves to a simple open sight with a replaceable front sight.
Air rifle "Crossman" Model 102 caliber 5.6 mm (.22). An optical sight could be mounted on the rifle. Variants of “combat” bullets in an air rifle were even developed - incendiary and “armor-piercing”
During World War II, pneumatic weapons tried to compete with silent firearms. And to solve “sniper” tasks, the Americans chose the Crossman Model 102 air rifle with an under-barrel compressor pumped using a lever. To increase the penetrating effect of the bullet, they decided to replace lead with steel, and head part make the bullets pointed, and besides, reducing the mass increased the initial speed (although the loss of speed in flight for a light bullet was greater). So that steel bullet did not spoil the relatively “soft” barrel of the weapon; it was covered with a thin layer of copper. However, in 1944, the US Office of Strategic Services ordered the Crossman company together with 1000 Model 102 rifles of 5.6 mm caliber and lead bullets for them, requiring only more high precision making bullets, which indicates the intention to use rifles for “sniping” at short ranges, even with dubious lethality. Part of this batch was sent to Burma to the 101st Special Operations Command unit, which operated against the Japanese army, but the specific use of weapons and its results are not reported. Silent firearms, coming out of adolescence, soon left behind pneumatic competitors.
The Second World War significantly influenced the development of small arms, which remained the most popular type of weapon. The share of combat losses from it was 28-30%, which is quite an impressive figure considering the massive use of aviation, artillery and tanks...
The war showed that with the creation of the most modern means of armed struggle, the role of small arms did not decrease, and the attention that was paid to them in the warring states during these years increased significantly. The experience gained in the use of weapons during the war is not outdated today, having become the basis for the development and improvement of small arms.
7.62 mm rifle model 1891 Mosin system
The rifle was developed by Russian army captain S.I. Mosin and in 1891 adopted by the Russian army under the designation “7.62 mm rifle model 1891”. After modernization in 1930, it was put into mass production and was in service with the Red Army before World War II and during the war. Rifle mod. 1891/1930 was distinguished by high reliability, accuracy, simplicity and ease of use. In total, more than 12 million model rifles were manufactured during the war years. 1891/1930 and carbines created on its basis.
7.62 mm sniper rifle of the Mosin system
The sniper rifle differed from a regular rifle by the presence of an optical sight, a bolt handle bent to the bottom, and improved processing of the barrel bore.
7.62 mm rifle of the 1940 model of the Tokarev system
The rifle was developed by F.V. Tokarev, in accordance with the desire of the military command and the highest political leadership of the country to have a self-loading rifle in service with the Red Army, which would allow rational consumption of cartridges and provide a greater target range of fire. Mass production of SVT-38 rifles began in the second half of 1939. The first batches of rifles were sent to the Red Army units involved in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939–1940. In the extreme conditions of this “winter” war, such shortcomings of the rifle as bulkiness, heavy weight, inconvenience of gas control, sensitivity to pollution and low temperature were revealed. To eliminate these shortcomings, the rifle was modernized, and production of its modernized version, SVT-40, began on June 1, 1940.
7.62 mm sniper rifle of the Tokarev system
The sniper version of the SVT-40 differed from the production samples by a more careful fitting of the trigger elements, qualitatively better processing of the barrel bore and a special boss on the receiver for installing a bracket with an optical sight on it. The SVT-40 sniper rifle was equipped with a specially created PU sight (universal sight) with 3.5x magnification. It allowed firing at a range of up to 1300 meters. The weight of the rifle with the sight was 4.5 kg. Sight weight - 270 g.
14.5 mm anti-tank rifle PTRD-41
This gun was developed by V.A. Degtyarev in 1941 to fight enemy tanks. The PTRD was a powerful weapon - at a distance of up to 300 m, its bullet penetrated armor 35-40 mm thick. The incendiary effect of the bullets was also high. Thanks to this, the gun was successfully used throughout the Second World War. Its production was discontinued only in January 1945.
7.62 mm DP light machine gun
A light machine gun created by designer V.A. Degtyarev in 1926, became the most powerful automatic weapon of the rifle departments of the Red Army. The machine gun was put into service in February 1927 under the name "7.62-mm light machine gun DP" (DP meant Degtyarev - infantry). The low weight (for a machine gun) was achieved thanks to the use of an automation scheme based on the principle of removal of powder gases through a hole in a fixed barrel, a rational design and arrangement of parts of the moving system, as well as the use of air cooling of the barrel. The target firing range of a machine gun is 1500 m, the maximum flight range of a bullet is 3000 m. Of the 1515.9 thousand machine guns fired during the Great Patriotic War, the vast majority were Degtyarev light machine guns.
7.62 mm submachine gun of the Degtyarev system
The PPD was adopted for service in 1935, becoming the first submachine gun to become widespread in the Red Army. The PPD was designed for a modified 7.62 Mauser pistol cartridge. The firing range of the PPD reached 500 meters. The trigger mechanism of the weapon made it possible to fire both single shots and bursts. There were a number of modifications of the PPD with improved magazine mounting and modified production technology.
7.62 mm submachine gun of the Shpagin system mod. 1941
The PPSh (Shpagin submachine gun) was adopted by the Red Army in December 1940 under the name “7.62 mm Shpagin system submachine gun model 1941 (PPSh-41).” The main advantage of the PPSh-41 was that only its barrel required careful machining. All other metal parts were made mainly by cold stamping from sheet metal. The parts were connected using spot and arc electric welding and rivets. You can disassemble and reassemble the submachine gun without a screwdriver - there is not a single screw connection in it. From the first quarter of 1944, submachine guns began to be equipped with sector magazines with a capacity of 35 rounds, which were more convenient and cheaper to produce. In total, more than six million PPSh were produced.
7.62 mm pistol of the Tokarev system mod. 1933
The development of pistols in the USSR practically began from scratch. However, already at the beginning of 1931, the Tokarev system pistol, recognized as the most reliable, light and compact, was adopted for service. In mass production of the TT (Tula, Tokarev), which began in 1933, the details of the trigger mechanism, barrel and frame were changed. The target firing range of the TT is 50 meters, the bullet flight range is from 800 meters to 1 kilometer. Capacity – 8 rounds of 7.62 mm caliber. The total production of TT pistols for the period from 1933 to the end of their production in the mid-50s is estimated at 1,740,000 units.
PPS-42(43)
The PPSh-41, which was in service with the Red Army, turned out to be - mainly due to its too large size and weight - not convenient enough when conducting combat in populated areas, indoors, for reconnaissance officers, paratroopers and crews of combat vehicles. In addition, in wartime conditions it was necessary to reduce the costs of mass production of submachine guns. In this regard, a competition was announced to develop a new submachine gun for the army. The Sudayev submachine gun, developed in 1942, won this competition and was put into service at the end of 1942 under the name PPS-42. The design, modified the following year, called PPS-43 (the barrel and butt were shortened, the cocking handle, the safety box and the shoulder rest latch were changed, the barrel casing and receiver were combined into one part) was also adopted. The PPS is often called the best submachine gun of World War II. It is distinguished by its convenience, sufficiently high combat capabilities for a submachine gun, high reliability, and compactness. At the same time, the PPS is very technologically advanced, simple and cheap to produce, which was especially important in conditions of a difficult, protracted war, with a constant lack of material and labor resources. The PPS was developed in besieged Leningrad, based on a compilation of its own project and the project of Lieutenant Technician I.K. Bezruchko-Vysotsky (design of the shutter and return system). Its production was launched there, at the Sestroretsk Arms Plant, initially for the needs of the Leningrad Front. While food for Leningraders was coming to the besieged city along the road of life, not only refugees, but also new weapons were being taken back from the city.
In total, about 500,000 units of PPS of both modifications were produced during the war.
Used in the World Wars, only a small number of types managed to participate in both. The most famous of them are rifles, the Russian-Soviet Mosin rifle and the German Mauser 98.
Three-line rifle mod. 1891
In the second half of the 19th century Russian Empire There have been certain problems with small arms for the army. Its peak came in the 60s, when half a dozen different types of rifles chambered for different cartridges were quickly adopted and without much thought. Then this step was recognized as unreasonable, and D.A. Milyutin, who was the Minister of War at the time, later described the situation as an "unfortunate rifle drama." As a result, during for long years Almost all the time there was work and debate around updating the “park” of small arms, but we are only interested in the 1892 competition for the creation of a repeating rifle. It should be noted that back then rifles (an abbreviation for “screw gun”) were called any rifle, and what is now understood by this word was then called a gun. The first to be submitted to the competition were foreign samples: 8-mm guns from Mannlicher (Austria) and Krag-Jorgensen (Denmark). The following year, Sergei Ivanovich Mosin and Leon Nagan submitted their applications for participation; the former’s weapon had a caliber of 7.62 mm, the latter – 8 mm. Interestingly, Nagant’s creation had recently lost to the Mauser rifle in a competition of the Belgian army. Not wanting to lose another “tender,” Nagan even invited the Russian military to modify his rifle for the newly developed 7.62x54 mm cartridge. This cartridge was created by N.F. Rogovtsev based on the Belgian 8-mm cartridge and at that time was considered the most promising for the Russian army.
Based on the test results, only Mosin and Nagant samples advanced to the next round of the competition, although in 1890 another two dozen different guns were additionally considered. In the same year, comparative tests of both rifles began, and the following year the Mosin rifle was adopted. True, this was no longer the prototype of 1989: at the insistence of the competition commission, Sergei Ivanovich introduced a number of innovations into his project, including those borrowed from Nagan (again, a military requirement).
Due to some production problems, the first few batches of the new weapon, called the “three-line rifle of the 1891 model,” were ordered in France, and the first units of entirely domestic production were made at the Sestroretsk plant only in 1993. It should be noted, and then “Mosinki” will sometimes be made not in our country. A number of sources mention that in 1916, the tsarist government, due to the workload of defense factories, was forced to order a number of “three-line” vehicles from the United States. However, most of the order was completed after both revolutions of the seventeenth, and a number of Mosin rifles were sent to American army and to the civilian market. The differences between the American “three-line” and the Russian ones were in different markings and the material of the stock: the Americans planed it from walnut, while in our country the stock was made mainly from birch.
In terms of design, the Mosinka looked like this: a weapon with a long (up to ~104 calibers, depending on the version) rifled barrel with four grooves. The barrel caliber is three lines (0.3 inches) or 7.62 millimeters. However, sometimes it is noted that due to low production standards or wear and tear of the weapon, the caliber “walked” within a few hundredths of a millimeter. Ammunition is supplied from an integral box magazine for four rounds, plus a fifth is located in the chamber. Reloading is manual - the rifle uses a longitudinally sliding bolt, and the barrel is locked when the latter is turned using two locking locks. There was also a kind of safety lock - for this purpose the trigger was pulled back and rotated around its axis. Aiming on the first version of the rifle was carried out using a sector sight that had two positions. In the first it was possible to fire at distances of up to 1200 steps (divisions of 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200), in the second - at longer distances. The 7.62x54R cartridge, created in 1888, has a protruding rim, which is often noted as a disadvantage and an anachronism even for the late 19th century. The first versions of the cartridge had a cylindrical bullet with a rounded end. For close combat, the “three-line” had a detachable bayonet. More precisely, the design of the bayonet made it possible to remove it, but at the same time the accuracy indicators changed greatly: the point of impact at a distance of 100 m shifted by 12-15 cm. The rifle bayonet was quadrangular with fullers, attached to the barrel using a tubular base and a clamp. The tip of the bayonet had a special sharpening, making it possible to use it as a screwdriver.
In 1891, three versions of the Mosin rifle were adopted:
- infantry. It had the longest barrel (800 mm) and was equipped with a bayonet.
- dragoon. 729 mm long barrel, similar bayonet and new sling mount. This time, instead of wire swivels, it was threaded through cutouts on the stock.
- Cossack. It differs from the dragoon only in the absence of a bayonet.
In 1908-10, a new version of the 7.62 mm cartridge, with a pointed bullet, entered the army. The ballistics have changed a little, so the sights of the new rifles had to be modified. After the October Revolution, when the opportunity arose to “restore order” to the range of weapons, of all the “three-line” variants, only the dragoon version was left, as it combines greater ease of use and sufficient combat performance. In 1930, the rifle was modernized again. Now the sight markings are being redone for the metric system, the ramrod and bayonet mounts are being changed, and a number of other minor amendments are being made, for example, the design of the stock rings that secure the barrel has changed. It was this “Mosin rifle of the 1891-1930 model” that became the basis of the Red Army’s weapons in the pre-war period and the first half of the War. In 1938, the first carbines with a barrel length of 510 mm were produced. Initially it does not have a bayonet, but in 1944 a carbine receives one. Moreover, the bayonet of the 1944 year is made integral and folds to the right.
Also, already during the Great Patriotic War, a number of sniper versions of the Mosin rifle were released. They were distinguished by the presence of an optical sight and the shape of the bolt handle: it was bent and did not touch the sight when reloading. Interestingly, some snipers used a rifle together with a bayonet - it was a kind of weighting agent and provided greater accuracy.
Gewehr 98
In 1871, the Mauser brothers introduced the new Gewehr 1871 rifle (also sometimes called the Gew.71 or simply “71”) to the military public. Immediately, the Prussian military department ordered more than one hundred thousand units of these weapons. Over the next few years, other countries ordered Mauser rifles to suit their requirements, and one after another the following types appeared: Gew.88, Gew.89, Gew.92 and Gew.94. After the creation of the last rifle, Wilhelm and Peter-Paul Mauser became concerned with the problem of combining all the innovations applied on different versions of the “71” and current trends in gunsmithing. In addition, relatively recently (in 1888), Mauser created a new 7.92x57 mm cartridge with a sleeve without a protruding flange. Structurally, the new rifle, called Gewehr 1898, was quite similar to its “peers”, such as the same Mosin rifle. At the same time, the Gew.98 had a new safety design in the form of a rotating lever on the rear side of the bolt and a more compact magazine. The 7.92x57 mm cartridge did not have a protruding rim, so it was slightly smaller in size and could fit more tightly into the magazine, including in two rows. Due to this, the Gew.98 box magazine for five rounds almost does not protrude beyond the stock. Options were considered to increase the capacity to 7 or 10 rounds, but the customer, the German military, decided that five would be enough. In addition, it was noted that loaded ten-round clips have large dimensions and less convenient to carry. As for the actual rate of fire with a small magazine, it was considered sufficient compared to foreign models.
As already mentioned, in terms of design, the Gew.98 differed little from the Mosin rifle. The same longitudinally sliding bolt, almost the same long rifled barrel (740 mm), attached to the stock on rings. At the same time, the manual for the German rifle prohibited loading a cartridge directly into the chamber - the design of the extractor did not allow it, it could simply break. The safety, located on the bolt, has two positions - all the way to the left (the hammer is locked) and all the way to the right (you can shoot). The Mauser's sights consisted of a front sight covered with a removable ring and an open, adjustable sight. The design of the latter made it possible to fire at distances from 100 to 2000 meters. A bayonet can be installed on the barrel. For various representatives of the “98” family, seven variants of bayonets of different shapes and lengths were developed. The first version of Gew.98 featured a cleaver bayonet.
In 1908, a modification of the Kar.98a was released with a slightly modified sight for a new version of the cartridge with a pointed bullet (previously a bullet with a rounded end was used). Interestingly, the presence of the word “carbine” in the name did not affect the length of the barrel or the overall dimensions of the weapon. The only difference between the “Carbine” and the Gewehr.98, other than the sight, was the attachment of a carrying strap. On the rifle there were wire swivels, on the carbine there were slots in the stock. The fact is that at that time in the German arms industry, rifles that had modifications for use in cavalry were called carbines. The Germans switched to the “global” meaning of the term only after several decades. In 23, the Kar.98b was released - it received a downward-curved bolt handle and a simplified sight. In 1935, the most famous modification of the “98” - Kar.98k - was launched into the series. This carbine was finally shortened (barrel length - 600 mm), and a bolt stop was also introduced: the magazine feed part in its upper position prevented the bolt from moving forward and informed the shooter that it was time to take out a new clip. Another innovation concerned the grooves for the clip - after loading the magazine and when the bolt was moved forward, it flew out automatically. Sniper modifications were not forgotten either. In 1939, the Zf.Kar.98k carbine with the Zf.39 optical sight entered service with the troops. However, it did not suit the shooters - the dimensions of the sight did not allow loading the weapon using a clip; in addition, it often went astray and did not provide the required accuracy. From 1941, sniper carbines began to be equipped with Zf.41 sights, which were mounted on a special block that prevented it from moving, and had smaller dimensions.
Kar.98k eventually became the most mass modification"98" - about 15 million carbines were produced. It was with these weapons that the Wehrmacht began the Second World War. However, there were still a considerable number of older versions of the Gew.98 in German warehouses, which were mainly used in volunteer formations.
[b]Who wins?
It is very difficult to look at opponents' weapons and not try to compare them. Moreover, as you know, everything is learned by comparison. Let's try to “get to know” the Mosin rifle and the Gewerh 98.
The seven-year difference actually did not have much impact on the design of the “younger” weapons. At the same time, the German rifle was made for a more promising cartridge without a protruding flange. With the same combat characteristics, it had a slightly more convenient shape, which affected the design of the magazines of both rifles. In addition, the Gew.98 magazine is made in two rows, and the bolt, unlike the Mosin rifle, does not have fragile parts designed to work with the rim. Another advantage of the "98" family is related to the bayonet. According to the documents on the use of the Mosinka, it should have been shot with a fixed bayonet. Accordingly, it was necessary to continue to operate the rifle without removing the latter. The bayonet, of course, is convenient in close combat, but it makes the rifle longer and heavier. However, some snipers, as already mentioned, did not shoot it.
The advantages of the Russian-Soviet rifle lie in greater “thermal safety”: the barrel is covered with wooden linings along almost the entire length and in manufacturing nuances. Mosin initially included relatively large tolerances in the design of the rifle, which, while maintaining sufficient characteristics, had a positive effect on the cost and ease of production. Also, “Mosinka” is better than Gew.98 due to its simpler and more convenient bolt design, because for its repair in field conditions Only spare parts are needed, no additional tools. If necessary, a soldier could use the bayonet as a screwdriver.
To summarize, we can safely say that with relatively similar characteristics, both rifles - Soviet and German - were equally dependent on the owner in tactical aspects. In addition, the answer to the question from the subtitle can be the overall result of the war: the guys with Mauser rifles, despite fierce resistance, still lost both World Wars.
Small arms of the Second World War
The first episode of the film is dedicated to rifles - repeating, self-loading and automatic. The viewer will get acquainted with the legendary Russian “three-ruler”, the German “Mauser 98k”, American rifle"Springfield" M1903 and the English "Lee-Enfield". We will test combat samples in action domestic rifle Mosin and the German Mauser 98k carbine and see which turns out to be more convenient to use, more powerful and more reliable. Self-loading rifles of World War II. Only the Soviet Union and the United States were able to establish mass production of this type of weapon. What developments were carried out in Germany? We will also try the legendary German "Sturmgever" in action. This weapon marked the beginning of a new type of small arms, which in the West is called assault rifle, and with us - automatically.
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