| Stechkin | |
|---|---|
 Stechkin machine pistol with a removablestock attached | |
| Type | Machine pistol |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1951–present |
| Used by | SeeUsers |
| Wars | Vietnam War Shaba II[1] Rhodesian Bush War Soviet–Afghan War Afghan Civil War (1989-1992) Tuareg rebellion (1990–1995) Chechen-Russian conflict War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) South Ossetia War Russo-Ukrainian War Syrian Civil War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Igor Stechkin |
| Designed | 1948 |
| Manufacturer | Vytatsky Polyany Machine-Building Plant |
| Produced | 1951–1958 (APS) 1972–1973 (APB) |
| Variants | APB silent variant |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 1.22 kg (2.69 lbs) |
| Length | 225 mm (8.86 in) |
| Barrel length | 140 mm (5.51 in) |
| Cartridge | 9×18mm Makarov |
| Action | Blowback |
| Rate of fire | 750 rounds/minute |
| Muzzle velocity | 340 m/s (1,100 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 50 m (55 yd) |
| Maximum firing range | 200 m (220 yd) |
| Feed system | 20-round detachable boxmagazine |
TheStechkin Automatic Pistol (Russian:Автоматический Пистолет Стечкина (АПС),romanized: Avtomaticheskiy Pistolet Stechkina (APS)) is aselective firemachine pistol manufacturered by Russian companyVytatsky Polyany Machine-Building Plant. It is chambered in9×18mm Makarov and9×19mm Parabellum. The APS was designed byIgor Stechkin for use byartillery andmortar crews,tank crews andaircraft personnel, for whom a cumbersomeassault rifle was deemed unnecessary.
The APS was introduced into service with theSoviet Armed Forces in 1951 and has been used in various wars including theVietnam War,Russo-Ukrainian War andSyrian Civil War. It was praised for its innovative concept and good controllability for its size, but a high cost per unit, complex and time-consumingmachining, a limitedeffective range, large size and weight for a pistol, and a fragilebuttstock have been mentioned as a reason to phase it out of active service in favour ofcarbines such as theAKS-74U.
In theSoviet Union during the late 1940s,submachine guns such as thePPSh-41 andPPS-43 were declaredobsolete shortly after the adoption of theAK47. A new self-defence weapon was requested for artillery and mortar crews, tank crews, and aircraft personnel, for whom a cumbersomeassault rifle was deemed unnecessary.
Igor Stechkin, a recent graduate from the Tula Mechanical Institute, began working on a newautomatic firearm to compete against other prolific designers such asMikhail Kalashnikov. Stechkin designed aselect-firepistol capable of accurate fire up to 200 m (220 yd), with the possibility of attaching a combinationholster/shoulder stock. Field-testing of the firstprototypes was undertaken from April to June 1949. A 20,000 round endurance test against anAstra machine pistol and a PPS-43 submachine gun proved that Stechkin's design was promising. However, the testing board showed flaws of the prototype, such as the lack of adjustability of therear sight, the high weight (1.9 kg (4.2 lb) with a holster), short sight radius, and therecoil spring located under the barrel. Stechkin undertook a large redesign effort, using several innovations from theMakarov pistol, such as the generalsilhouette,slide rails, andextractor. The gun was lightened, the trigger mechanism was redesigned and simplified, and the trigger guard reshaped. After successful military tests, the APS was formally adopted on 3 December 1951.
The APS was issued toSoviet Army vehicle operators, artillery crews,front-lineofficers, andlaw enforcement. It used in conflicts inAngola,Libya,Mozambique,Romania,Tanzania andZambia. The APS was praised for its innovative concept and good controllability for an automatic weapon of its size, but the cost of each weapon was high and production involved a complex and time-consuming process ofmachining. Disadvantages in the field proved to be its large size and weight for a pistol, its limitedeffective range, fragility of the buttstock, frequentmalfunctions and subparergonomics. The APS was gradually phased out of active service in theSoviet Armed Forces before being officially replaced[citation needed] by theAKS-74U compact assault rifle in 1981, which offered more firepower due to its much more powerful5.45×39mm M74 rifle ammunition, acceptable accuracy at moderate distances, and greatermagazine capacity. However, the APS found a new niche amongspecial forces units of theSpetsnaz andFSB, who needed a more effective sidearm than the standardMakarov PM, and has continued to be used in active service since.
TheOTS-33 Pernach, a machine pastol produced byKBP Instrument Design Bureau and co-designed by Stechkin, was introduced as a successor to the APS in 1996. It is also chambered for the 9×18mm Makarov cartridge, but features a simplified design intended to resolve the flaws of the APS.
The APS is a straight-blowback,select-fire, magazine-fed machine pistol. The weapon is fed through 20-round double-column, two position feed magazine steel box magazines. The APS shares features with the Makarov pistol, such as a heel-mounted magazine release, slide-mountedsafety lever, and field-strip procedure. The rear sight is adjustable from 25 m (27 yd), 50 m (55 yd), 100 m (110 yd), and 200 m (220 yd) through an eccentric rotating drum-dial. Theserrated front sight may be drifted forwindage. Theslide features a textured strip on top to reduce aim-disturbingglare. Thechrome-linedbarrel serves as the recoil spring guide. The slide stop lever also acts as an ejector blade. Thetrigger guard pivots down for stripping and detents in position through a spring-loaded plunger. The checkered or serrated grips' panels are made from wood (early models), but this was replaced by reddish-brownbakelite or blackplastic.
The APS features a combination safety-decocker-fire selector lever on the slide. The three-position lever, when pointed forward in the "PR" or safe position, decocks and locks thehammer, locks the slide to the frame and prevents forward travel of the free-floatingfiring pin. When pointed downwards to the "OD", or single-shot position, the safety lever deactivates the auto-sear andrate reducer to allowsemi-automatic fire. Finally, the rearmost "AVT" position puts the APS in fully automatic mode.
Thetrigger mechanism of the APS is of a simple construction and features a double/single-action fire mode. It comprises a trigger andtrigger bar, disconnector, sear and hammer. The rebounding hammer, when in resting state, has an intermediate safety intercept notch that does not allow forward travel of the hammer unless the sear is raised. Disconnection is achieved through a cam in the slide.
To make controllable automatic fire possible through such a system, Stechkin employed several mechanical solutions. Firstly, the slide has a very long stroke (three times the length of thecartridge). This allows time to slow the slide down and reduce felt recoil by minimising the jolt produced through the collision of the slide with the frame. Secondly, the rate-reducer lever offers extra resistance to the opening stroke of the slide, further slowing down the cycling process. Finally, the primaryinertial rate reducing plunger delays the dropping of the hammer after the slide closes. The slide has a large cam that strikes a lever downwards. This lever transfers that energy to a spring-loaded weight located in the grip. The weight travels down, compressing its spring, then slams back up into thetrigger bar, tripping the sear and firing the gun. Effectively, the rate reducer, which reduced the automatic rate of fire from 1,000 to 750RPM, also acts as the auto-sear.
The machine pistol may be fitted with a wooden (early), brown bakelite orsteel wire shoulder stock (for the APB variant); otherwise, the weapon becomes difficult to control on full-auto. The stock is attached via a T-slot cut into the rear strap of the pistol frame. The stock is hollowed out and can act as a holster, accepting the machine pistol inside, similar to theMauser C96 pistol. A leather sling and ammunition pouch were also supplied with the weapon.
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The APB (Avtomaticheskiy Pistolet Besshumniy, meaning "Automatic Silenced Pistol") version was a version of the APS optimized forcovert operations. Developed in the early 1970s by A.S. Neugodov (А.С. Неугодов) under the factory name AO-44, it was officially adopted in 1972 under the service name APB and givenGRAU index 6P13. Approximately 2,000 APS pistols were converted to APB variants by the Vyatskie Polyansky Machine-Building Plant from 1972 to 1973. Muzzle velocity reportedly dropped to 290 m/s (950 ft/s)in this variant.[2] Instead of the holster-stock of the APS, the APB comes with a detachable stock made of steel wire. Its barrel is longer than that of the APS; it protrudes from the slide and is threaded for the attachment of an eccentric soundsuppressor. When not in use, the detachable sound suppressor can be clipped to the stock.[3]
During theSoviet–Afghan War, the APB was used by Soviet Spetsnaz team leaders as an extra weapon; they usually carried on a sling with the suppressor and stock mounted. It was used byradio operators and even by someheavy gun crews.[3] Special forces units of the RussianMinistry of Internal Affairs such as theOMON and theSOBR have also used the pistol.[citation needed]
Angola[5]
Belarus − In service with OMON,[6] SOBR,[7] special forces and customs authorities.[8][page needed]
Cuba[9]
Georgia[10]
Kazakhstan − State Courier Service[11]
Libya[12]
Mozambique[13]
Romania − Manufactured variant known asDracula md. 98[14]
Russia − Used byRussian Armed Forces pilots,FSBAlpha Group,[15] interior security forces,[16] and security guards of theCentral Bank of The Russian Federation[17]
Ukraine − Used by special forces[18]
Tanzania[19]
Zambia[20]
East Germany[21]
Soviet Union — Used bySpetsnaz[22]
Afghan mujahideen — captured pistols during theSoviet–Afghan War[23]
Republic of Artsakh[24]
Russian separatist forces in Ukraine[26]