PPP is an automaton of total war

According to most weapons experts, this is the best submachine gun created during the Second World War. PPP is an automatic machine, which until now has no equal in the ratio of "efficiency-cost-simplicity-reliability." Only the objective conditions of military production and the end of the war prevented it from becoming the most massive weapon of the Soviet Army and bypassing this indicator of the PPSh.

Background and history of creation

Despite of excellent fighting qualities, the submachine gun Shpagina (PPSh) had a number of essential lacks. It was complex and expensive in production, which also required specialized enterprises. Also, the size and weight were too small for a submachine gun. Complex and inconvenient in the maintenance of the disk store did not have sufficient reliability. A disk from one machine could not be used for another. In addition, it was believed that the PPS has an excessive rate of fire and a large dispersion when firing bursts. The contest for a new sample of a submachine gun for the Red Army was held repeatedly, but only in 1942 a convincing victory in it was gained by the PPS - AI design machine. Sudayev.

Technological and combat qualities

Created in the conditions of the besieged Leningrad, Sudaevskiy PP had unprecedented simplicity and technology, while preserving the best combat qualities of Shpagin's submachine gun. For comparison: about 14 kg of metal and seven and a half working hours were spent on the production of one PPS, and only 6.2 kg and two and a half hours respectively on the automatic transmission system . In addition, the amount of high-grade metal used has been significantly reduced. With the exception of individual parts, the entire structure was manufactured by stamping out of three-millimeter steel sheets.

In circulation, PPP was also more convenient and simple compared to its predecessor. Incomplete disassembly was carried out in just a few movements, and the weight and dimensions of the weapons were almost half that of the PPS (3.6 kg versus 5.3 kg in running order). Also, the excessive rate of fire (1000 rounds per minute at the PPS) was reduced, which led to an aimless consumption of cartridges and overheating of the barrel. PPP is an automatic machine with the optimal rate of fire for this type of weapon: 600 rounds per minute. Such a rate of fire is the golden mean between accuracy and density of fire at a short distance and allows firing single shots without a fire interpreter. Currently, almost all modern submachine guns and assault rifles are designed for a similar rate of fire. No less outstanding in the PPP were the combat characteristics. A powerful cartridge and a relatively long barrel made it possible to hit the target fire with confidence at a distance of more than two hundred meters, which was an impossible task for all, without exception, submachine guns of that time produced abroad.

The automatic machine PPS-43

After the experience of the use in the troops, modifications were made to the design of the submachine gun. Since 1943, its upgraded version has been produced under the designation "PPS-43". Changes in general were minor and concerned only the appearance of weapons. The shape of the handle and the fuse was changed, and the trunk and butt were shortened somewhat, which also received a new fastening. The only change in the internal design was the use of the guiding spring of the battle spring as an extractor instead of the usual reflector.

Conclusion

PPP is an automaton that has received well-deserved recognition all over the world. Only the inexpediency of the transition to a new type of weapon in the conditions of war did not allow it to be mass-produced. Meanwhile, this machine was in service until the nineties and was copied many times. The sound of his queues and now you can hear in many hot spots of the world.