PSS silent pistol

The PSS silent pistol or MSS "Vul" ("Вул") ^[1] is a Soviet silent pistol operating on a sealed cartridge system. Its GRAU designation is 6P28 while "Vul" comes from the codename for its development program.^[2]

PSS
Type	Pistol
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1983–present
Production history
Designer	TsNIITochMash
Designed	1979–1983
Manufacturer	Tula Arms Plant
Variants	PSS-2
Specifications
Mass	700 g (1 lb 9 oz), 850 g with cartridge
Length	165 mm (6.50 in)
Barrel length	35 mm
Cartridge	7.62×41 mm SP-4
Caliber	7.62 mm
Action	Recoil-operated
Muzzle velocity	200 m/s (660 ft/s)
Effective firing range	25 m
Maximum firing range	50 m
Feed system	6-round detachable box
Sights	Fixed blade sights

History

Developed around 1980 for assassinations and reconnaissance, the PSS was first issued to KGB Spetsnaz in 1983.^{[citation needed]}

Cartridge

How the PSS action works

The PSS uses a specially developed 7.62×41 mm necked round SP-4 (СП-4), also used by the OTs-38 Stechkin silent revolver.^[3]

The cartridge contains a propelling charge which drives an internal piston in contact with the base of the bullet.

On firing, the piston propels the bullet out of the barrel with enough energy to achieve an effective range of 25 meters.

At the end of its travel, the piston seals the cartridge neck, preventing noise, smoke, or blast from escaping.^[4]

Action

The PSS is recoil-operated. It has a slide designed to operate silently, in keeping with the pistol's design for silent operation.

In other respects, the PSS generally follows traditional conventions, except for the slide's guide rod, which is located above the barrel and instead of guide rails on the pistol frame.^{[citation needed]}

The weapon uses a special cartridge with an internal piston. It has been measured to produce a sound level of 122 dB.^[5]

Production and use

It is under production in the special weapons foundry at TsNIITochMash. PSS pistols are still in use by some FSB and MVD units.

The PSS has been used in the Syrian civil war.^[6] It has seen use by both sides in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[7] Within Russia the gun has also been issued to OMON and SOBR.^[8]

The PSS-2 was adopted by the Russian FSB security agency in 2011.^[9]

Users

• Georgia^[10]
• Russia
• Syria

Variants

The PSS-2 silenced pistol was developed in Russia. It is based on the original PSS but with some features of the SR-1M pistol and some improvements. It fires the SP-16 noiseless 7.62×43 mm ammunition, more powerful than, but incompatible with, the original 7.62×41 mm cartridge.

See also

• List of Russian weaponry
• MSP Groza silent pistol
• NRS-2 – Soviet survival knife/pistol hybrid
• S4M