Taking into account how popular the GSh-18 pistol is, it is simply impossible to pass by this weapon. The pistol is really very interesting, both in its appearance and design, has caused and is still causing a lot of controversy, which do not subside to this day. Despite the fact that the weapon is quite famous, there is a lot of gossip around it, and for many even the automation system is a secret. Let's try to get acquainted in detail with the pistol, with its history of creation, design, as well as with the reasons why this pistol never became the main pistol in the army.
It is probably worth starting with the fact that the GSh-18 did not appear from scratch, this weapon has a predecessor, which, although it differs in many details, is unconditionally the weapon that provided the basis for the pistol. We are talking about a model named P-96. This pistol was developed by one of the creators of the GSh-18, namely Vasily Petrovich Gryazev. This weapon is somewhat unusual, since it uses an uncommon bore locking system, which is not common not only in pistols, but also in firearms in general. The barrel bore is locked when it is turned by the clutch of the protrusion above the chamber and the cutout of the window for spent cartridges. Let's try to figure out what kind of weapon it is and what it is eaten with.
The pistol is available in three versions for three different ammunition. The first variant, named P-96, is powered by 9x19 cartridges, the P-96M variant uses 9x18 ammunition and the P-96S "eats" 9x17 cartridges. The capacity of the magazines of cartridges is 18, 15 and 10 cartridges, respectively. The weight of the pistol without ammunition is 570 grams for the P-96 pistol, 460 grams for the P-96M pistol and 450 grams for the P-96S pistol. The total length of the pistols in the same order is 188, 152 and 151 millimeters. We finished with the numbers, now let's figure out how all this mess works, and the weapon works quite interestingly.
In its normal position, the protrusion above the chamber enters the opening of the window for ejection of the spent cartridge case, which makes the movement of the shutter casing separately from the barrel impossible. When fired, the powder gases push the bullet forward and press not only on the bore walls and the rear of the bullet, but also on the bottom of the case, trying to push it out of the chamber. As a result of this effect of powder gases on the sleeve, the bolt of the weapon comes into motion along with the barrel. In fact, the movement begins at the moment of the shot, but against the general background, we can say that when fired, the barrel and the shutter remain motionless. The thing is that the travel time of the bullet along the barrel is very short, and the mass of the barrel and the shutter casing are large enough to acquire the same speed as the speed of the bullet. Due to the mass of the barrel and the bolt casing, sufficient energy is saved for the bolt and the barrel of the weapon to move after the powder gases cease to affect the bottom of the sleeve. Thus, at the initial stage, the barrel and the breech casing move together, however, in the process of movement, the barrel begins to turn. Turning 30 degrees to the left, the barrel disengages from the bolt casing and stops, the bolt casing continues to move further back, removing the spent cartridge case from the chamber and throwing it out. Having reached its extreme rear point, the shutter casing changes its direction. Moving forward, the shutter casing removes a new cartridge from the magazine and inserts it into the chamber. Leaning against the breech of the barrel, the bolt casing pushes it forward, which again leads to its rotation in the opposite direction. In this case, the protrusion above the chamber engages with the shutter casing behind the window for ejection of spent cartridges.
The trigger mechanism of a double-action pistol with a partial cocking of the striker. That is, when the shutter casing is pulled back, the striker is not fully cocked, but only partially. Its cocking occurs when the trigger is pulled. Safety devices, or rather a device, are quite unusual for domestic weapons. So, on the trigger there is a safety key that protects against accidental pressing of the trigger. I must say that the shape of this safety element was not the most successful, for which pistols often receive negative reviews. The shutter delay is controlled by a button. Sights consist of a rear sight and front sight, which are not adjustable. We should also mention the plastic frame of the weapon.
Unfortunately, the weapon did not receive success, although it was adopted by a number of services. Particularly unlucky was the P-96 model, which simply ceased to be produced due to its low reliability. This version of the pistol chambered for 9x19 was positioned as a weapon for the army, but its design was not strong and reliable enough. Everything was aggravated by the fact that there appeared 9x19 cartridges of domestic production, with a greater kinetic energy of the bullet. Precisely because this pistol did not fit the army and the development of the GSh-18 was started.
The pistol itself had another parent, so Gryazev and Shipunov were already working on the weapon. If we consider the GSh as a continuation of the development of the P-96, then one cannot fail to note the tremendous work that the designers did, since despite the general identical principle of operation, two different samples were obtained.
First of all, it should be noted the reduction of the barrel of the weapon, which made it possible to reduce the effect of recoil when firing, making it more convenient. In order to increase the reliability of the weapon, the barrel bore locking system had to be redesigned, which began to be locked by 11 protrusions and no longer behind the window for ejection of casings. In addition, it was possible to reduce the angle of rotation of the barrel when unlocking and locking, which increased the resource of the weapon. So the pistol could already quite normally endure work with more powerful 9x19s, had good ergonomics, a roomy store and could become an excellent example of weapons for the army. But it didn't work out. The reason for the fact that the weapon did not become widespread is the rather expensive and complex production, which can be justified only with very large volumes of weapons produced. And this is where the most interesting thing is. It turns out that in order for the pistol to be justified, it is necessary to produce a lot, while the armament of the army requires just this a lot, but the GSH-18 is not suitable since its production is not justified. Vicious circle. But mass production in small batches can be afforded as a premium weapon. Now, really, Russia cannot be understood with the mind.
The pistol itself turned out to be very good, of course, there are certain problems with the reliability of the weapon in adverse conditions, but they are not as serious as the opponents of this pistol want. Although, to be honest, the time for 9x19 ammunition is gone, and it seems to me that it would be more logical to move towards reducing the cost of producing 9x21 cartridges (SP-10, SP-11, and so on) and, accordingly, switch to weapons for these ammunition. In my opinion, the best option for the army at the moment.
