PPSh-41 Submachine Gun

[TOrrock]

This is a post '86 dealer sample that belongs to United Armament in Richmond, VA, whom I work with occasionally.

This gun is rebuilt from a cut parts kit.

These were very impressive subguns in their day....much like a Soviet T-34, they were the right gun for the times....easily manufactured in large quanitities, easy to train someone on, and extremely reliable. The Soviet Union invaded Finland in 1939 in what came to be called the Winter War, and got badly stung by Finnish troopers armed with Suomi submachine guns. The Soviets realized that they needed a cheap, reliable submachine gun to arm their forces, and Tovarich Shpagin delivered with the PPSh-41.

German and Finnish soldiers highly prized captured PPSh-41, and turned them on their former owners. There aren't many transferrable guns here in the US because GI's really wouldn't have come into contact with them on the Western Front in WWII, and by Korea, there weren't as many trophies coming home. The GCA of 1968 killed any legal importation by GI's bringing back trophies from Vietnam.

By the end of WWII, the Soviets had entire battalions armed with these "burp" guns.

They are some of the most prolific subguns encountered around the world....after WWII, the Soviets gave them out like party favors to independence movements all over the globe. Every country in the Warsaw Pact with the exception of Czechoslovakia either used Soviet surplus PPSh-41's or made local variations. China made a copy called the Type 50, which along with the Soviet manufactured guns saw service in Korea and Vietnam.

While the caliber (7.62x25mm) isn't thought of highly in terms of terminal performance, there are plenty of people put in the ground by a burst from the PPSh-41.

Typical of the time it was developed in, it fires from an open bolt. Rate of fire is fairly high, around 800 rpm., ammo dependent. There are two types of magazines, a 71 rd. drum magazine and a 35 rd. stick mag. The stick magazines are typically more reliable than the drums. Fairly unique for the time, the PPSh-41 is select fire, with the selector located in front of the trigger.

The safety is located on the bolt handle and is a cross section of steel that allows you to push into a slot cut into the receiver, which will lock the bolt open or closed. You have to pull the lever away from the receiver in order to fire the weapon.

In any case, this is an extremely "fun" gun to get some trigger time on and is a weapon with a lot of historical significance.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/Shpagin/P1000710.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/Shpagin/P1000718.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/Shpagin/P1000714.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/Shpagin/P1000717.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/Shpagin/P1000711.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/Shpagin/P1000722.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/Shpagin/P1000716.jpg


To field strip, remove the magazine from the weapon, making sure it's clear, and then allow the bolt forward into the closed position.

Push the rear cover forward, and hinge the barrel and upper receiver away from the lower receiver, similar to the M16. The bolt and recoil spring will be in the lower receiver. Pull back on the bolt and lift up, the bolt and recoil spring assembly will now clear the lower receiver. Further disassembly isn't really required.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/Shpagin/P1020550.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/Shpagin/P1020552.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/Shpagin/P1020554.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/Shpagin/P1020555.jpg

[keller]

Very nice. Looks like a Hungarian kit build.

[DRich]

Beautiful weapon. I had the opportunity to play with one at Knob Creek a few years back and it was one of my favorites. I greatly preferred the PPSh-41 over the MP40. Of all the subguns of that era, I'd have a hard time choosing between the Sterling and the 41.

[dbrowne1]

Nice gun! Sort of looks like a "M2 Carbinsky."

The sights look surprisingly sophisticated and well-made for a mass-produced Soviet gun, let alone a subgun.

[warpigM-4]

thanks man :D tons of info, that is the best pictures I have seen of that weapon.

[YVK]

Excellent post, thank you.
The image of PPSh with a drum magazine is what most Russians think of when it comes to discussion of russian small arms circa WWII.

[Cagemonkey]

Its amazing how ingenious the Soviets are when it comes to small arms design. Simple, crudely manufactured and utterly reliable and effective.

[exkc135driver]

That's a reweld? Somebody did a verrry good job.

[keller]

That's a reweld? verrry good job.

If you look closely you will notice a difference in the finish behind the trunion. Probably a prexis repair section coupled with a hungarian kit. ATF changed the demil requirements by requiring that the trunion be destroyed as they were relatively easy to rebuild.

[exkc135driver]

If you look closely you will notice a difference in the finish behind the trunion. Probably a prexis repair section coupled with a hungarian kit. ATF changed the demil requirements by requiring that the trunion be destroyed as they were relatively easy to rebuild.

Now I see it. Very good job.

[Alex F]

I've put a few thousand rounds through one of these, make sure you wear eye pro because they kick a lot of crap out the back.

Nice shooter you have there, by the way.

[Mongo]

I have a transferable one that I had rebuilt since it was just a reweld anyway and did not work. These are a blast to shoot and super controllable and ammo is cheap!

Here is the before and after pics, sorry they are not better quality.

http://home.comcast.net/~sfischer397/pictures/ppsh2.jpg

I had 2 new Polish kits used to in the rebuild so I will have spares a plenty.

http://home.comcast.net/~sfischer397/pictures/newppsh41.jpg

Here is a video with my gun being shot in it.

http://www.vimeo.com/1479946

One issue that I did find out that you might want to be aware about is be careful shooting under cover. I was shooting under a pop up and one of the brass was knocked back down into the muzzle compensator as I was firing. To say the least it happened so fast I did not even realize it until I was told by others watching me shoot. We found the case and you could see where the bullet hand punched it. Luckily nothing was harmed and the bullet did not deflect enough for it to hit the end of the muzzle comp.

[Iraqgunz]

Take a look at these bad boys. Unfortunately, all but one of them has been destroyed. I believe that there was a date stamp of 1944 on at least on here. I will reconfirm later.

2557

[jtb0311]

That PPSh was fun to shoot. It just squirted the rounds out.

[TOrrock]

Take a look at these bad boys. Unfortunately, all but one of them has been destroyed. I believe that there was a date stamp of 1944 on at least on here. I will reconfirm later.

2557




Very cool pic IG.



Here are some from the end of TD2 at the recent Vickers 1911 Operators class.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/Vickers%201911%20Operators%20June%206-7%2009/TD2/P1020626.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/Vickers%201911%20Operators%20June%206-7%2009/TD2/P1020629.jpg



And SinnFein_1911 from FNH at the Vickers Subgun class last year...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/Vickers%20Subgun%20Aug%202-3%2008/P1000761.jpg

[Iraqgunz]

Templar,

Take a guess at how many of those mags and drums that I have laying around here? It's really sad that our laws and gay regs won't allow them to be brought back.

[TOrrock]

Templar,

Take a guess at how many of those mags and drums that I have laying around here? It's really sad that our laws and gay regs won't allow them to be brought back.


They're perfectly legal to import.....guess it must be regs on your end that hold you up.

As far as guessing how many......hmmm....metric ass load? That's an industry measurment.....:cool:

[Iraqgunz]

Templar,

Some asshole General from CENTCOM put out a memo saying that no magazines, parts or accessories can be sent out or brought back. My guess is that it was written pre 9/2004 before the AWB Hi-Cap ban ended. They even confiscated all of my stuff from my footlockers in 2007 (after they cut the locks) and I bought them on my own dime. I contacted some PAO clown at CENTCOM and he basically said that they didn't give two rats f*cking about my mags or that I paid for them.

You should see all the original Russian Bakelite AK mags that I have. They are in very good to excellent condition.

Half a metric ass load. :D


They're perfectly legal to import.....guess it must be regs on your end that hold you up.

As far as guessing how many......hmmm....metric ass load? That's an industry measurment.....:cool:

[Iraq Ninja]

Gunz,

Save me a few mags! You need to become friends with a RSO who is going home on leave. Rumor has it that they are immune from the rules we fall under.

[Iraqgunz]

Assuming that officials in either country don't freak out like they did when I rolled through. I had a rail system, misc. items and some mags in my check in at Kuwait Int'l and they threw a shit fit. It took an airline rep and a very friendly Kuwaiti customs official who spoke excellent English to let it go through.

When I went through Jordan they freaked about my holster, scope rings and a some other BS. I know a few guys that had optics confiscated at the airport.


Items, including non NFA weapons, can be imported from Kuwait & Jordan... just not the war zones.