OTs-38 Stechkin silent revolver

OTs-38 Stechkin silent revolver
OTs-38 in Interpolitex-2011
Type	Revolver
Place of origin	Russia
Service history
In service	2002
Used by	Russia
Production history
Designer	Igor Yakovlevich Stechkin
Designed	2001
Manufacturer	KBP Instrument Design Bureau
Produced	2002
Specifications
Weight	820g (without laser and empty), 880g (with laser and empty)
Length	191mm
Width	40mm
Height	140mm
Cartridge	7.62×42 mm SP-4
Action	Double-action Revolver
Effective firing range	50m
Feed system	5 round cylinder, loaded by full moon clips
Sights	Fixed front and rear, optional integral laser sight

The OTs-38 Stechkin is a 5-shot, double-action revolver, in production and service with the Russian Army since 2002 and Russian Internal Troops since 2012, chambered in the silent 7.62×42mm SP-4 cartridge.

This revolver is a silent weapon.

The effective range of fire is 50m. The fired cases are kept in the cylinder thus ensuring the absence of sound of ejected cases. The cartridge employs a captive piston so there is no flash or loud report upon discharge.

As the cartridge is rimless, the cylinder is fed via full moon clips. The SP-4 cartridges emit no report or flame because the propellant gases are retained in the case. The OTs-38 revolver is claimed to be effectively silent as the sound level of the live and dry firing is practically identical.

This system is virtually identical to that employed by the Quiet Special Purpose Revolver (QSPR) a variant of the commercially available Smith & Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum revolvers, rebuilt to fire specially manufactured dedicated integrally silenced ammunition.

Early prototypes had very short smooth-bore barrels with 0.40 inch (10mm) bore and matching chambers but later versions has longer barrels of up to 4inches (100mm). QSPR ammunition (which pioneered the captive piston propellant gas containment system) ejected fifteen tungsten balls from the special cartridges, weighing 7.5 grain (0.5 grams) each, exiting at a muzzle velocity of c730 fps (222ms) for a muzzle energy of c135ft-lbs (185J).

This load was tailored to deliver wounding effect at up to 100ft (30m) and have a practical (potentially fatal) effect at ranges below 30ft (10m), deemed sufficient for the QSPR's intended and narrow application: clearing the confined and dimly-lit to pitch black tunnels encountered during the Vietnam War, for which reason no sights were fitted.

The acoustic signature of QSPR rounds was c110dB (similar to a traditionally silenced .22LR pistol), the captive piston totally eliminated muzzle flash (vital when most engagements occurred in near or total darkness). While effective only 250 QSPRs were manufactured, production curtailed after the US withdrawal form Vietnam.)

In contrast to its virtually stock predecessor the later OTs-38 is innovative to a degree unusual even in special purpose weapons:

• The barrel is mounted below the axis pin, a cylinder pivoting to the (right hand) side
• A manual safety catch that allows the pre-cocked hammer can be set on manual safety, enabling the revolver to be carried cocked. (The mechanism also prevents accidental discharge with the cylinder open or not fully closed, with the revolver dropped or struck.)
• Mounting the barrel's beneath the cylinder (so recoil is directed into the shooter's hand, rather than imparting a turning movement that raises the muzzle) with the intention of improving both accuracy and delivering the maximum rate of fire.

The OTs-38 can be fitted with an optional integral laser sight powered by 3 D-0.03D batteries.

Users

• Russian Federation
• Syria: by the Syrian special units and police

See also

• Captive bolt pistol
• List of Russian weaponry
• PSS Silent Pistol
• Stechkin automatic pistol
• Smith & Wesson Model 29

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons

• Modern Firearms: OTs-38
• ОЦ-38