Among all the variety of modern weapons, those samples that are called "special" are especially interesting. Usually these weapons are designed for a narrow range of tasks, unsuitable for widespread distribution. Nevertheless, its individual characteristics, which, for obvious reasons, surpass the characteristics of ubiquitous samples, are dizzy for many (most often those who are familiar with weapons only in the framework of cinematography and computer games). Forgetting that an increase in some characteristics cannot but affect others, or, in other words, nothing comes from nowhere. In this article we will try to deal with the Whirlwind assault rifle, which many praise for its high armor-piercing characteristics, as well as for its very modest size and weight, to the extent that you can find references to this weapon as a submachine gun, which, of course is not true.
The appearance of this specimen of weapons is explained by the fact that personal body armor acquired not only the maximum distribution in the second half of the twentieth century, but also became relatively compact and lightweight. Consequently, a weapon was required that could confidently hit an enemy protected by such personal protective equipment. Naturally, such results could not be achieved from one weapon, and the main problem was to design an ammunition capable of fulfilling its goals. A way out of the situation was the 9x39 cartridge, which was created on the basis of 7, 62x39 for silent samples of the AS Val submachine gun and the VSS Vintorez sniper rifle. Ammunition for silent weapons with a heavy subsonic bullet showed excellent results in penetrating personal body armor, but had its own characteristics that could not but affect the characteristics of the future "armor-piercing" machine gun. A heavy bullet with an armor-piercing core did an excellent job with class 3 body armor at distances of up to two hundred meters, however, even for this distance, it was necessary to make corrections, since due to the large weight and low speed of the bullet, the trajectory of its movement was far from ideal. Thus, it turned out that a weapon that had not yet been created was already obviously more difficult to use than samples chambered for bullets with faster and lighter bullets, but they turned a blind eye to this, since conducting effective fire from such a machine gun was a matter of training and habit, and here the armor-piercing qualities of the ammunition, at that time, were really very good.
Since the main characteristic of the weapon was "armor-piercing", and even with the most beautiful cartridge, such a parameter is limited primarily by the range of use, it was decided to create not just an assault rifle capable of hitting the enemy with personal armor protection, but also distinguished by its compact dimensions, the benefit of developments in this regard, it was more than enough and, in fact, it was necessary to choose the best of the existing solutions. Since the high armor-piercing properties of the bullet are limited to 200 meters, they decided to design the weapon with the calculation of this maximum distance of fire. Naturally, this does not mean that a bullet flying 200 meters will stop and fall to the ground. As a result, the assault rifle received a very short barrel, as well as an upward folding butt. Subsequently, the weapon was modernized, but more on that below.
As with all models of weapons with modest dimensions, the appearance of the Whirlwind assault rifle is not the most formidable, but you should not be fooled. The weapon is actually more serious than it might seem. Small dimensions and weight allow using the machine without delay from vehicles, in narrow rooms, if you forget about the ricocheting abilities of bullets and so on. The first version of the weapon, adopted under the designation CP-3, had a stamped butt folding upward. The butt itself was made so that, even when folded, it did not interfere with the use of sights, which consist of a front sight and a flip rear sight. If we talk about weapon controls, then many people note their almost ideal location and design for a compact machine gun, however, the same number of people have the opposite opinion. So the fuse switch is duplicated on both sides of the weapon and is represented by a relatively large lever, well accessible for switching even when the hands are protected by three-fingered mittens. The fire mode translator is made as a separate, less noticeable element in the form of a transversely moving button, which is located behind the trigger under the fuse switch. Despite its small size, this control is quite convenient, although it does not stand out, many may not notice it at all if they do not poke a finger.
A good solution was to replace the shutter handle with two sliders brought forward, with the help of which the shutter can be pulled back by the shooter, but this turned out to be a good solution only in terms of reducing the size and ease of wearing. Cocking the shutter, as practice shows, has become less convenient and longer, and this is not just a matter of habit, but reality as it is. The version of the SR-3 weapon was quite modest by modern standards, even a silent firing device could not be installed on it, although the use of cartridges with subsonic bullet velocities could not be enough to ensure that the PBS was included with the weapon, even if it is not positioned as silent.
After being adopted for service and a short run-in at the FSB, a task was prepared for the designers, which required making a silent weapon with high accuracy from the armor-piercing "kid" without losing its original characteristics. In addition, there were recommendations for improving the ergonomics of weapons and processing some individual points. Roughly speaking, they asked to make VSS and AS in one person from SR-3, so the SR-3M appeared. The appearance of the weapon has changed significantly. First of all, the butt catches the eye, which is now frame and retracts to the left side of the weapon. Since the weapon is relatively small, and the butt in the folded position began to overlap the forend of the machine gun, an additional handle was also introduced into the design for holding, which can be folded. In the convenience of holding the weapon when firing, it turned out to be a gain, however, with the stock folded, it is still not convenient to hold the machine gun, it rests on the hand, but inconvenient does not mean it is impossible. In addition, the weapon received the ability to install a silent firing device, which was included in the assault rifle kit. If we draw an analogy with the special machine "Val", then the updated "Whirlwind" with the installed silent firing device loses both in size and weight. This happens due to the fact that in a special machine "Val" the removal of powder gases begins even before the bullet leaves the barrel, through special holes in the barrel bore.
In the "Whirlwind" submachine gun, the barrel does not have these holes, and accordingly the silent firing device is installed further, which increases the length of the weapon with PBS in comparison with the AS "Val". In addition, the modernized machine gun has changed its weight and dimensions when compared with the first version of the weapon. So the length of the assault rifle with the stock folded and unfolded became 410 and 675 millimeters, respectively, compared to 360 and 610 millimeters. The weight of the weapon has grown from two kilograms to 2.2 kilos. The barrel length remained unchanged at 156 millimeters. The rate of fire was also left unchanged, equal to 900 rounds per minute, which is, in the case of a small-sized weapon with a sufficiently powerful ammunition, the optimal rate of fire to ensure the best accuracy, after all, it is not to shoot from the trenches. A mount appeared on the left side of the weapon, which allows the machine to be used together with an optical sight, which increases the effective range of fire to 400 meters. Rather, it is not the effective range that increases, but it simply becomes possible to conduct aimed fire at a distance of up to 400 meters, since the open sights are designed for the same 200 meters. Naturally, the third class of bulletproof vest at a distance of 400 meters may no longer "take" a bullet. Weapon controls have also been redesigned. Reworked completely. First of all, it should be noted that the weapon got rid of the cocking handles above the barrel, now it is one handle, located on the right side of the receiver. The fuse switch has become larger, in its on position it stands in the way of the bolt handle. Much more interesting is the translator of fire modes, which took place inside the safety guard immediately behind the trigger. It is difficult to judge how convenient such an arrangement is. On the one hand, the time for switching fire modes seems to be significantly reduced, on the other hand, if the hands are protected with thick gloves, switching can be difficult, even though the dimensions of the parts are quite large. It is difficult to say whether the innovations have benefited the weapon. On the one hand, the ability to install a silent firing device and an optical sight is clearly a plus. On the other hand, the same butt and an additional handle for holding the weapon are implemented in such a way that you can fire with a folded butt only by resting your brush against this very butt, which is clearly inconvenient, unless you are left-handed. The changes in the controls, although significant, can hardly be assessed as positive or negative. In the end, this is more a matter of habit and personal preference, although the designers tried to reduce the cocking time of the weapon and reduce body movements when switching fire modes, so, probably, the changes are still positive. Well, the increase in size and weight have more minuses than pluses, although one cannot argue with the fact that due to the increase in length and weight, the weapon became more stable when firing, and the accuracy of fire increased accordingly.
If we return to the question of the appearance of the machine gun, then many note that the weapon looks like it was assembled from scrap materials. Looking at the "licked" foreign samples, it is difficult to disagree with this, indeed the appearance is not the most ceremonial, but the appearance does not at all determine the characteristics of the weapon.
The automatic machine works, despite the fact that it is a special weapon according to a fairly common automation scheme - the removal of powder gases from the barrel. Much suspiciously similar in this model model to individual parts of the special machine "Val". So, for example, it can be noted that even the barrel bore is locked by 6 stops. The trigger is also similar to the AC, but if there is a solution that works well, why not use it. In general, the device is a common and uninteresting weapon, so this item can be omitted.
If you emphasize the positive aspects of the weapon, then one cannot fail to note its flexibility. Since during the modernization, the designers were faced with the task of making a weapon combining the characteristics of the AS "Val" and the VSS "Vintorez", it can be considered that the "Vortex" is no longer a small-sized machine gun, but a separate shooting complex. Of course, it is not possible to reach the VSS in terms of its characteristics or to outperform the AS "Val" in terms of less noise during firing of the "Whirlwind", but on the other hand it can be used without PBS, which significantly reduces its dimensions. Thus, it can be noted that the weapon, even if viewed without a silent firing device, turned out to be quite useful and necessary, complementing the silent samples of the VSS and AC.
In conclusion, I would like to separately note such a moment as the construction of this machine to the absolute ideal by many people. So, quite often you can hear, and about this and similar samples, that they could become the main weapon in the army, because "they have no analogues". It is difficult to disagree with the fact that the weapon is good, but nevertheless it is special and cannot be used everywhere. The reason for this is at least the maximum effective fire distance of 400 meters. Moreover, one must also take into account the fact that it is quite difficult to hit the enemy at such a distance from such a weapon. In other words, this weapon is good and good, but not for mass weapons.
