Posted on 12/27/2001 8:43:17 AM PST by g'nad
SUPERGUN INVENTED IN TULA
The instrument-making design bureau of Tula produced a new item – GSh-18 gun, developed by engineer-in-chief, Arkady Shipunov and his first deputy, Vasily Gryazev. The title of the gun reflects the initial characters of its creators and the amount of cartridges to it.
GSh-18 weighs 580 grams when loaded, while the majority of other guns of that class rarely weigh less than 1 kilo. The body and components of the gun are made of the modern lasting materials. A bullet shot from GSh-18 will go through 8 millimeter steel, if you shoot from 12 meters distance – no flak jacket will save from this weapon.
Many specialists of the weapon industry fear, least the super-gun should not be accepted for the armoury. There was even better weapon invented in the cities of Tula and Izhevsk, but the army and the defense complex are used to Kalashnikov, which is 50 years old already. The customer - the Principal missile and artillery directorate of the Defense Ministry does not give any perspectives for the weapon either: GSh-18 is meant for the professional army, but there is no such army in Russia so far.
Translated by Dmitry Sudakov
I'd like to see some caliber and ballistics info...what kind of projectile are they using? 8 mm(.8 cm), I ain't that impressed...
2. It is simply not a believeable claim. If they said they had invented a new round of some kind, and that this gun is strong enought to fire it, that would be one thing. However the gun itself is not what would be super about that, it is the round.
The .223 is only 5.56-mm, and it will penetrate body armor just fine.
That's what I thought. Wonder if they offer the $40 rebate as well?
a.) velocity of 2900+ fps... a pistol cartridge is no where near that
b.)a fully jacketed sharply pointed projectile...pistol cartidges, especially in semi-autos have rounded projectiles to feed properly
Apples and oranges, friend...
Ditto!
We don't really know what kind of cartridge it uses, do we? All the evidence would seem to indicate it does not use a conventional pistol cartridge. That's why they are writing an article about it.
http://www.milparade.com/catalog/pdf/137.pdf
It might also be better if police were able to change ammo in case of heavily armored bank robbers instead of running to gun shops for more firepower.
Anything is an improvement over the current flaks... but I haven't seen these "Ranger Vests"...
 
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| In 1935, the FN-made Browning Hi Power was revolutionary. The market quickly adopted this high-capacity 9mm pistol accordingly, and it has since been fielded by over 100 countries. FN's newest contribution the handgun's evolution is named the Five-seveN®. This 20-round pistol fires a 5.7mm bullet that will defeat most body armor in military service around the world today. Essentially, the Five-seveN® represents a quantum leap forward in the handgun's suitablity for close engagements by delivering the type of performance that was previously confined to rifles or carbines. Elements of this performance include:
High stopping power: The Five-seveN® fires the 5.7x28mm SS190 Ball round which reliably penetrates Kevlar helmets and vests as well as CRISAT protection. High hit probability: The Five-seveN's® extremely low recoil impulse results in virtually no muzzle climb, thereby facilitating fast and controllable follow-up shots. Yet, the Five-seveN® is: Light and ergonomic: Weighing 30% less than most 9mm pistols, the smoothly-contoured Five-seveN® is comfortable to carry and quick to deploy. Fully safe: Due to its double-action firing mechanism, the Five-seveN® offers no inherent risk of accidental discharge during transportation. Furthermore, all of its safety devices are automatically reengaged following each firing cycle. The Five-seveN® fires the SS190 5.7x28mm ball round. This projectile will perforate any individual protection on today's battlefield including the PASGT kevlar helmet, 48 layers of kevlar body armor and the CRISAT target (titanium and kevlar). The SS190's conventional design allows it to be manufactured on existing production lines, and its lead-free composition eliminates range contamination. |
Five-seveN® Technical Specifications
| Caliber | 5.7x28mm |
| Operating principle | Delayed blowback |
| Trigger mechanism | Double action only |
| Magazine capacity | 20 rounds |
| Overall length | 208mm (8.2 in) |
| Barrel length | 122.5mm (4.82 in) |
| Weight, unloaded | 618g (1.36 lb) |
| Weight, loaded | 744g (1.64 lb) |
The round for this pistol looks short compared to the .22 Hornet. Powder capacity looks less. Velocity looks less, also, but the projectile may be heavier, even if less aerodynamic.
Something a little longer than a 9x19mm parabellum, I believe- look at that magazine, which is of about the dimensions of that of a TT30,TT33 or TT51 7,62x25 Tokarev, certainly long enough for the 25mm long cartridge case of a 9x25 or .38 Super- or even the plain Jane bottlenecked Tokarev cartridge dressed up in a new handgun package.
Russian protective vest makers rate their vests as effective against many handguns and the Uzi SMG in particular, but when it comes to the 7,62x25 Tokarev and 7,62x39mm M43 Kalishnikov cartridges, insist that an additional protective *trauma plate* must also be used.
And of course, if they've necked the 7,62x25 pistol cartridge down to take the 5,45mm bullet of the AKMS74, the AKM/AK47s replacement in Russian and Soviet military circles, they could have a really hot little number.
And, interestingly, it's also the caliber of the Soviet WWII PPSh and PPS submachineguns and that of the Czech Vz26. There are some interesting possibilities here....
You likely are referring to RBA, R/anger B/ody A/rmor, which indeed is supposed to be resistant to .223/5,56mm M16 ammunition, but less so against that from the old 7,62x39 AK47. The *Rabnger Assault Vest* is of not-very-bulletproof mesh similar to the aviator's survival vest, and is heant to get the gear off the soldier's load-carrying belt as much as possible, of particular help to those who are seated in vehicles for long periods and for paratroopers suffering long flights to their drop zones.
The latest Ranger Assault Vest is said to be compatable with the bags and pouches develeped for the new Marine MOLLE gear, including first aid bags, pouches for various ammunition and explosive items, handheld radios and a particularly well thought-out first aid kit. The Marine bacckpack used with MOLLE gear is the first thing I've seen that's much worse than the older ALICE rucksack it's supposed to replace. As for the RPA, I don't expect many of the troops in Afghanistan need worry about falling in the Afghan lakes and streams while wearing it, but heat casualties seem likely, despite the hoo-ah posturing.
The Flexible Vest consists of an Aramid (Kevlar KM2) filler encased in a nylon woodland camouflage-printed carrier. The vest weighs approximately 8 pounds in size medium, and protects the front and back torso from most 9 mm and 44 magnum threats, in accordance with Level IIIA of the National Institute of Justice Standard 0101.03, Ballistic Resistance of Police Body Armor. It also provides fragmentation protection similar to that of the Personal Armor System for Ground Troops (PASGT) Vest. The vest is available in three sizes: medium, large, and extra-large.
The 8 pound Ceramic Upgrade Plate, which provides front torso coverage, is fabricated of 2" x 2" aluminum oxide ceramic tiles. When the upgrade plate is inserted into the front pocket of the vest, it protects an approximate 10" x 12" area from 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm ball projectiles.
Fielding:
RBA was Type Classified Limited Procurement Urgent, and is available for purchase through GSA contract GS-07F-6041A, Protective Materials, Inc. The negotiated cost through the GSA contract for a size medium vest and plate is $738.
They gave considerably more effort to such things, as well as SMG/machinepistol design, following the four-month invasion of Finland from Nov 1939 to Feb 1940, during which the Finns inflicted nearly a million casualties on the 1.5 million-man invading force, many with nighttime raids by ski-mounted troopers using pistols and hand grenades or the *Finnish mowing machine,* the 9mm Finnish *Suomi* k/31 machinepistol with its 70-round drum magazine.
Suddenly, the Soviets discovered that their army didn't work as well as they'd hoped and that many details needed attention, development of an improved useful handgun being but one of them [and Shpagin's PPSh submachinegun and followon designs proved worth their effort as well.]
A handgun better suited to the defensive needs of officers, NCOs and Chekisti secret policemen shooting those kulaks in the back of the neck, as well as tank crews and other specialist troops, came after the conclusion of the WWII/ the *Great Patriotic War* with the Soviet adoption of the PM Makarov pistol, similar to the Walther PP, but in a somewhat more powerful 9mm caliber and with an improved thumb safety catch.
To date, Chinese, Bulgarian and East German versions of the PM have come my way, and I'm rather fond of the things, though they make a handier hideout or defensive handgun rather than a hardcore service piece. Still, they're popular enough in the USA that they have their own webisite, where they're cussed and discussed and accessories and other goodies [like a .22 training conversion kit!] are offered.
For such purposes the Soviets were also known to use the APS *Stechkin* in the same caliber as the smaller PM/Makarov, but with a larger [20-round] magazine capacity and capable of being fitted with a shoulder stock, as well as a full-auto capability, handy if troubling Finn raiders [or resisting peasants] should suddenly appear.
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High magazine capacity: The Five-seveN® comes standard with 20-round magazine.